Witness Recalls Fatal Lexington Crash Caused By Loose Wheel
LEXINGTON (CBS) -- The crash victim killed when a wheel came off a pickup truck and hit his car on Route 128 Tuesday has been identified.
State Police said Charles Hu, 26, of Lexington, was died in the crash.
State Police said it began when a wheel came off the axle of a pickup truck driving on the southbound lane of Route 128 near Exit 31 around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday. The wheel jumped the median into the northbound lane and hit Hu's car, which was traveling in the high-speed lane.
The wheel also hit another vehicle driven by a 50-year-old Braintree man, who was not injured. The driver of the pickup truck, a 19-year-old Amesbury woman, was also uninjured.
On Wednesday, driver John Eacrett told WBZ-TV's Christina Hager he is still shaken by what he saw.
"I look up and I see this tire jump the Jersey (barrier)," he told WBZ.
It was the tire that popped off the rear left side of a pickup truck heading south on Interstate 95. It bounced over the barricade into northbound traffic.
"(The tire) just flew right up the center of my vehicle," he said. It missed his truck, but police say it hit a Toyota Highlander, without causing injury, then smashed into the windshield of the car driven Hu.
"I just blessed myself," said Eacrett, who pulled over and called 911.
Police are now focused on figuring out why the wheel came off the 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 Series.
Investigators say they'll do a mechanical examination, review its service records, and check for recalls. Department of Transportation records show it passed a state inspection six months ago.
"The whole thing was over in two seconds," Eacrett told WBZ.
The effects will linger much longer for him. He teared up when talking about the driver who was killed.
"(It's unbelievable) how quickly life can be snatched from you, and I think it's important that we put our lives in perspective," he said.
After the crash, all lanes reopened by 4:15 p.m.
State Police said no charges had been filed at this time, and the ongoing investigation will determine whether any are warranted.
WBZ-TV's Christina Hager contributed to this report.