Lynn man, 27, dies after tire from truck strikes car on I-93

September 20, 2011|By Derek J. Anderson, Globe Correspondent

A 27-year-old man from Lynn died yesterday after his car was struck by a heavy-duty tire that had broken free from a flatbed truck on Interstate 93 in Somerville, State Police said.

The 2005 Freightliner M2 flatbed truck was headed south from Bow, N.H., when one of the tires came loose from the single strap holding it down on the bed of the truck, said David Procopio, State Police spokesman.

The tire fell onto the highway and bounced over the median onto 93 northbound, where it smashed into a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant being driven by Joseph LeBlanc, according to Procopio. The accident occurred north of Exit 29.

The tire was one of four solid-core truck tires the flatbed was transporting, each weighing approximately 400 pounds, he said. Once the tire had broken free and bounced into the opposite side of the highway, it smashed into the victim’s windshield, rolling the car onto its side, he said.

LeBlanc was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, Procopio said, where he was pronounced dead from his injuries.

The flatbed truck was driven by Gregory Ross, 62, of Merrimack, N.H., the State Police said in a press release.

The vehicle is registered to Ryder Truck in Braintree and was leased by Sullivan Tire, according to State Police, who did not know the truck’s destination last night.

During the investigation into the crash yesterday, several northbound and southbound lanes of the highway were closed for approximately 90 minutes, according to State Police.

The accident is under investigation in order to determine if criminal charges are warranted against anyone involved in the crash, Procopio said.

Derek Anderson can be reached at derek.anderson@globe.com.