State Police Investigate Deadly I-93 Accident in Somerville

Massachusetts State Police are investigating an accident that killed a man on Interstate 93 in Somerville Monday afternoon.

According to a press release from state police, the accident occurred before 3 p.m. north of Exit 29, in Somerville, on the northbound side of the highway.

A flatbed truck, traveling southbound on I-93, had a cargo of four solid-core tires, which weigh about 400 pounds each. The tires were loaded on a wooden pallet and secured with a single strap, and at some point the cargo became unsecured, according to state police.

One of the tires fell off the truck, bounced off the roadway, flew into the northbound side of the highway and smashed into the windshield of a 2003 Mitsubishi Gallant, state police said.

After being struck, the car continued traveling. It landed, on its side, between the northbound and southbound guardrails of the highway.

The driver of the car was a 27-year-old man from Lynn, state police said.

According to Somerville Fire Department radio transmissions at about 3:15 p.m., first responders used the Jaws of Life to free the driver.

He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to state police.

The driver of the truck was Gregory Ross, 62, of Merrimack, N.H., according to the state police press release. The truck was registered to Ryder Truck in Braintree and was leased by Sullivan Tire.

"The victim's identification is being withheld pending proper family notification," the press release said.