Chief Michael Patterson
21 Center St.
Burlington, MA 01803
For Immediate Release
Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020
Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net
Burlington Fire Responds to Incident Involving Ice Falling off Truck and Striking Passenger Vehicle on Route 3
BURLINGTON — Chief Michael Patterson reports that the Burlington Fire Department responded to an incident Thursday morning involving a sheet of ice that fell off of a moving truck, striking a passenger vehicle.
At approximately 11:36 a.m., Burlington Fire responded to Route 3 North near Exit 26. Upon arrival crews found a vehicle that had been struck by a large sheet of ice that reportedly fell from the roof of a truck that had been traveling in front of the vehicle.
A large section of the ice sheet went through the vehicle’s windshield, striking the male driver in the face. Numerous pieces of ice were scattered inside of the vehicle and on the ground around it.
Four people were in the vehicle when the incident occurred, including the male driver, a adult female passenger and two children.
The driver was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious facial lacerations, and one of the children was taken to the hospital also with facial lacerations.
The adult female passenger and the other child were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
“This serious incident could have been much worse if not for the quick thinking of the driver, who quickly pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road,” Chief Patterson said. “This is an example of the importance of clearing ice and snow off of the roof of your vehicle, and the dangers that can occur if snow and ice fall off of a vehicle while it is being driven.”
Massachusetts State Police also responded to the scene, and are investigating the incident.
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