Police release name of victim in fatal crash after being struck with metal debris through windshield

A man has been killed after a tragic accident this morning on Route 95.

According to Massachusetts State Police, at approximately 8:23 a.m. today, Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police Danvers Barracks responded to a report of a vehicle that had been struck by a piece of metal debris on Route 95 northbound near Exit 67B in Danvers.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the piece of metal struck a rented 2020 Ford Fusion operated by Thomas Arrington, 69, of Palmer, Alaska, which was northbound in the second lane from the left. The piece of metal, identified as a concrete screed – a tool used to level and smooth freshly poured concrete – pierced the windshield of the Fusion and struck Arrington. Severely injured, Arrington was able to stop the vehicle in the third travel lane before succumbing to his injuries. First responders determined him to be deceased at the scene. His 68-year-old female passenger, Arrington’s wife, was transported to Beverly Hospital for evaluation of minor injuries. She has been released.

Investigation by Troopers has determined that the screed fell out of a 2020 Ford F550 dump truck, operated by a 21-year-old male of Lynn, that was traveling in the second travel lane on the same side of the highway. A short time after the incident the F550 operator, an employee of a Lynn construction company, identified himself to State Police and has been cooperative.

The crash remains under investigation by Troop A of the Massachusetts State Police with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, the State Police Detective Unit for Essex County, and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. No charges have been filed at this time; the ongoing investigation will determine if charges are warranted.

Arrington and his wife had arrived in Massachusetts earlier today for a vacation.

State Police were also assisted on scene by Danvers Fire and EMS, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as well as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The left two lanes of the northbound side were closed for the investigation.