Massachusetts

Truck Driver Responsible for Flying Ice Chunk That Injured Girl ID'd

A similar incident was also reported earlier in the day in New Hampshire

The truck company and driver responsible for injuring a 6-year-old girl when a large piece of ice flew off a tractor-trailer and hit the windshield of the vehicle she was riding in on Interstate 495 in Massachusetts was identified on Friday, according to state police.

The company is Watsontown Trucking of Milton, Pennsylvania and the driver was a 34-year-old man from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The driver will be cited for carrying an unsecured load, which carries a $200 fine.

The police investigation determined that the driver was not aware of ice on top of the trailer or that anything had fallen from his truck.

There is no law in Massachusetts that explicitly defines failure to clear ice and snow from a vehicle as a specific violation.

State police said they received several calls reporting that a large piece of ice had flown off a tractor-trailer on I-495 northbound in Andover and smashed the windshield of a 2018 Toyota on Thursday afternoon.

Amanda Grenier's young daughter, Avery, was taken to Lawrence General Hospital with minor injuries.

"She's OK. She's just shaken up," Grenier said.

While she is relieved that she and her daughter are OK, she was angered by the lack of action from the driver.

"It could kill somebody. It almost killed me and my daughter," Grenier said. "If I didn't swerve, it would have gone right through my driver's side and my daughter would have been left without a mom."

A witness to the incident called state police with the license plate of the truck.

A similar incident was reported on Route 202 in Henniker, New Hampshire, earlier Thursday. Photos shared on Facebook by Henniker police showed a vehicle with a shattered windshield.

Henniker police said they are looking for a witness they spoke with who was driving a black Dodge Caravan who left before they could get his contact information.

New Hampshire State Police said they stopped 21 vehicles on Wednesday, issuing 19 traffic tickets for violating Jessica's Law, which requires drivers to clear their vehicles of snow and ice. The law was enacted in 2001 following the death of 20-year-old Jessica Smith, who died when ice flew off the top of a truck and struck another vehicle, causing a crash involving her car.

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