2 Hurt When Flying Ice Smashes Pickup Truck Windshield On Route 3 In Burlington
BURLINGTON (CBS) – Two people were hurt when ice flew off a moving truck and shattered the windshield of a pickup truck driving behind it on Route 3 in Burlington late Thursday morning.
It happened in the northbound lanes near Exit 26 around 11:30 a.m. The driver was able to steer the car safely into the breakdown lane where the vehicle was found by firefighters. The driver's side of the windshield of the pickup truck was smashed in after the incident and ice was found inside the car.
The driver, a 40-year-old Newton man, suffered non-life threatening injuries to his face, according to Burlington Fire Chief Michael Patterson and state police.
"We believe he was very lucky that they were non-life threatening injuries," Patterson said. "This certainly could have been a lot worse than it was."
A 3-year-old boy in the pick-up truck also suffered a cut to the face. Both were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to receive treatment, and a 38-year-old Newton woman and a 1-year-old girl who were in the truck at the time accompanied them to the hospital, according to Patterson and state police. All four are believed to be related.
A trooper found the box truck in Chelmsford several minutes after the incident, state police said. They said the operator of the truck was a 55-year-old Litchfield, New Hampshire, man, and that he cooperated with police. He did not know there was ice on the truck and was issued a warning, they said.
The moving company which owns the truck was identified as Hudson, New Hampshire, company Diggins & Rose, an agent of United Van Lines, according to state police.
United Van Lines released a statement Thursday afternoon: "At United Van Lines, safety of our drivers, laborers and the communities we serve is at the forefront of all that we do. We are working with our local agency to learn more about today's incident in Burlington, Massachusetts."
It is unclear how police identified the truck.
"Whether it's snow or ice, ensure that you clean your complete vehicle, not just a small portion of the windshield," Patterson said. "...These are absolutely incidents that, in my opinion, are preventable."
No charges have been filed at this point in the investigation.
