An Alaska man who was visiting Massachusetts on vacation died after a piece of metal went through his windshield on Interstate 95 in Danvers, police say.
Massachusetts State Police said the piece of metal, identified as a concrete screed, came off a dump truck and went through the windshield of a car driven by 69-year-old Thomas Arrington of Palmer, Alaska, near the exit to Route 114 around 9 a.m. Friday.
Arrington was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife, a 68-year-old woman who was also in the car, was taken to Beverly Hospital with minor injuries and later released.
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Arrington and his wife had just arrived in Massachusetts Friday morning for a vacation, police said. The couple was heading to see fall foliage in Maine.
Jenn Hoadley, the couple's daughter who lives in Alaska, spoke to NBC10 Boston Friday night and said she had dropped her parents off at the airport early Friday morning.
"The last thing he said to me was, 'thanks for the ride, sweetness,'" Hoadley recalled of her dad's last words before he left for Massachusetts.
According to police, the dump truck was driven by a 21-year-old Lynn man.
As police worked the scene Friday morning, crews from the construction company returned to the scene. They began retracing their route after arriving at their worksite and realizing the piece of metal was missing from the truck.
One man told NBC10 Boston they did not know the crash had occurred.
"We put all the tools inside the truck the right way, but sometimes on the roads, the vehicles jump" he said.
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Hoadley told NBC10 Boston she's really mad that someone didn't take the time to ensure the truck was secure.
"It's painful to know this was entirely preventable," she said.
Before he died, Arrington was able to maneuver over a lane and stop the car.
"My dad is a hero," Hoadley said. "He's a good person, who always makes sure that everyone's okay, and that's the very last thing he did, make sure everyone around him was okay."
Hoadley said her mom is on her way back home to Alaska.
State police say the dump truck driver is cooperating with the investigation. They have not yet decided if any charges will be filed.
