Police have released new details about a crash that caused delays in both the northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 95 in Burlington, Massachusetts, during Thursday's morning commute.
Massachusetts State Police said the 6:30 a.m. crash involved a tractor-trailer and a passenger car. They said a person in the car was taken to Lahey Hospital with serious injuries.
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WATCH HEREPolice said several large panels fell off the truck involved in the crash, coming to rest on both sides of the highway. They were removed by 7:40 a.m.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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SIGN UP The driver of the tractor-trailer, George Goffredo, of Bay State Plate, told NBC10 Boston he was driving along the highway like any other day, going about 55-60 mph, when he looked in his rearview mirror and noticed a car out of control.
"Next thing you know, I heard a big bang. He was underneath me at an angle. He picked up my truck and he literally tossed it in such a way where all the momentum of the truck rocked, and that's why I think the steel plates broke loose. I had them chained down with four chains, all within spec."
"I drove right into the guardrail, held onto the steering wheel for dear life -- I just started wearing my seatbelt two years ago. I was shooken up a little, and thank God, I was fine. I looked, everyone else seemed like they were OK. The guy behind me, I didn't see him. Crazy morning, you know."
Bay State Plate is a steel plate and trench box equipment rental company and distributor out of Foxborough. Goffredo said there were about 7-8 steel plates on the truck, each weighing between 1,300-1,500 pounds.
Goffredo said the situation could have turned out much worse.
"I didn't want to go back over into traffic. I knew the guardrail was on my left. I figured if I just rode the guardrail, no one else would get involved. If I let go of the steering wheel, I would've gone back into traffic -- who knows what would have happened? The truck could've flipped over."
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said temporary lane closures were in place on I-95 north and south at Exit 50 in Burlington to allow crews to complete cleanup of debris from the crash and were expected to remain in place through the morning commute.
All lanes reopened around 9 a.m., MassDOT said.
Photos from the scene showed at least two vehicles involved in the crash -- a flatbed truck with heavy front end damage and what appeared to be an SUV with a smashed front windshield.
No further details were immediately available.
