On Wednesday night the driver of a semi trailer truck was headed northbound on Interstate 495, moving through Essex County, MA. The driver was identified as 53 year old Alan Streelow of Brunswick, Maine. It is not known what the semi truck was hauling at the time of the truck accident but Mr. Sweelow confirmed that he was headed to Portland, Maine.

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Shortly before 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night the truck driver was going through the far north Massachusetts city of Amesbury. The truck accident occurred as the 18 wheeler was approaching the highway bridge that passes over Route 110, near the interstate’s merger with Interstate 95. According to the truck driver a wheel on his semi trailer blew out and he lost control of the tractor trailer. The truck driver fought to keep his tractor trailer on the interstate but was unable to regain control and the semi jackknifed. He crashed into the guardrail running along the side of the overpass bridge.

The semi trailer finally came to a rest with the cab section hanging on the edge of the guardrail, dangling over the Route 110 traffic lanes below. About 200 feet of guardrail was damaged in the truck accident. Several parts of the destroyed guardrail fell onto the Route 110 traffic lanes but fortunately no one was hit by the falling debris.

No other persons or vehicles were involved in the truck accident.

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Police and emergency personnel responded to the truck accident and helped the driver, Mr. Sweelow, escape from the cab suspended over Route 110. He received minor injuries in the crash but it is not believed that he required hospitalization.

The force of the crash punctured one of the semi truck’s gas tanks and diesel fuel began to spill out onto the northbound lanes of I-495. Highway crews responded to the truck accident site and began to spread sand over the approximately 130 gallons of fuel that spilled on the road surface. As the crews worked through the night snow began to fall, making their work to prepare the interstate for the Thursday morning commute more difficult.

Massachusetts State Police cordoned off a portion of the highway around the crashed semi truck so workers could remove the disabled vehicle. Once the 18 wheeler was pulled off the guardrail it was towed from the truck accident site. Drivers on northbound I-495 were forced into one lane as they passed the crash site. The lane reduction would last into the morning commute, causing traffic delays.

MA State Police reconstructed the truck accident. Early reports stated that the truck accident happened when the driver swerved to avoid hitting a spare tire that flew off another vehicle. The truck driver, Mr. Sweelow, later told officials that it was a tire on his semi that blew out and he lost control of the rig and it jackknifed. The tractor trailer would be inspected to see if there were any mechanical failures that led to the crash.

According to some reports the truck driver may not be charged in the Wednesday night crash. The truck accident investigation is still open.

Burlington MA semi truck accident on Route 128 near Boston - Photo Credit: Stan Foreman

Troopers said it appeared that the semi truck skidded on black ice, hitting a 2003 Chevy Impala that was driven by a 65-year-old woman. The woman was not injured in the collision. The tanker was empty so there was no spill on the roadway, however, the accident caused the semi tanker to separate from the cab.

Troopers said the driver, Jamal Davis, 35, of Danville, N.H., was trapped inside the vehicle and emergency crews had to work to extricate him. They were able to get him out of the cab by 7:30 a.m. He was conscious and was taken to the Lahey Clinic in serious condition.

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Troopers cautioned drivers to slow speeds when driving in areas where there is black ice.

Location of the NH oil tanker crash on Route 128 near northbound Route 3 exit.

“The temperature did drop overnight so we do see black ice occasionally. We want everyone to wear their seat belt, follow the speed limits, just stay within the rules of the road,” Trooper Thomas Murphy said.

Officers said the accident is still under investigation. The driver has not been cited yet, but may be once the investigation is completed.

This is not the first time that Abenaqui Carriers of North Hampton, N.H., has been involved in a major truck accident.

The New Hampshire based trucking company has issued a statement on their website saying, “The safety of our operations is our top priority and we will work directly with the authorities as they conduct their accident investigation. We apologize for any inconvenience this caused morning commuters.”

Below is a Google street view of the Yankee Division Highway (Route 128). You can click the mouse button and drag it to pan around the scene of the accident. The northbound Route 3 exit sign is clearly visible here.

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WCVB of Boston contributed to this story.

Gordon & Elias, nationwide truck accident attorneys, state that a variety of factors can cause a truck accident. Simple care and attention to detail by a truck driver or a trucking company can prevent many accidents from happening. Often times putting undue pressure on a driver to perform beyond their limits or sacrificing safety for a healthy bottom line can put truck drivers at risk.  Find additional information about common causes of truck accidents.

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Two tractor trailer rigs on their sides at the Weston toll plaza on the Mass Turnpike

The truck accident occurred when the rig carrying the load of beef struck the tractor trailer carrying the styrofoam cups, invloving the passenger car – a Toyota Corolla – that was crushed in between the two rigs. Both semi trucks tipped over on their sides, one on the left side and one on the right side spilling beef carcasses all over the roadway and causing a major traffic jam at the Weston toll plaza.

The driver of the passenger car suffered minor facial injuries and was taken to a local hospital. No other injuries were reported. Watch video from Fox channel 25, Boston:

Police are still trying to sort all of this out, but the driver from Oklahoma says he was driving the appropriate speed when he was rear-ended by the other truck from Michigan who was carrying the load of beef. The truck driver from Oklahoma, said, “I was coming into the toll booth … at the regular speed you’re supposed to with E-ZPass, and all of a sudden I saw out of the corner of my eye this truck coming and he wasn’t stopping and then he plowed right into me.”

Boston area Massachusetts Turnpike

The collision caused a major traffic jam at the toll plaza so Police were basically waving all the traffic through these two lanes to try to ease up some of the traffic congestion but the problem is that it was a huge mess and cars were snaking their way through two open lanes of the toll plaza.

There were three different operations underway involving State Police. State Troopers were trying to get some of the traffic through the toll plaza through just two of the lanes that were open at the time.

The other thing that was going on was that there were tow truck operators who were working to try to get some of this wreckage out of there and then of course cleanup the mess. There were these beef carcasses from one of the trucks strewn across several of the lanes on the Pike.

The third thing is that there is an investigation underway by the State Police who are trying to figure out why all this happened in the first place. They are trying to understand whether it was speed or whether it was a mechanical problem, or perhaps if one of the drivers fell asleep.

The scene of the truck accident was cleared up by about 10:30 am, but the accident is still under investigation.

Contact a Boston truck accident attorney if you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Boston, Massachusetts. Find a Massachusetts truck accident lawyer at TruckAccidents360.com today who specializes in representing victims involved in truck injury accidents.