Man Dies In Early Morning Pike Crash In Charlton

CHARLTON, MA—A Springfield man has died after an early morning crash on the Mass. Pike in Charlton on Thursday.

Around 3:40 a.m., a freight-liner tractor-trailer stopped in traffic in the middle travel lane on I-90 westbound in Charlton, just before Exit 9, because of construction. A 2017 Ford Transit van, which was traveling westbound, crashed into the back of the tractor-trailer.

The operator of the Ford Transit, a 51-year-old man from Springfield, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 58-year-old man from Chicopee, was uninjured.

Investigators believe that the man who was killed didn't see that traffic had stopped in front of him and crashed into the back of the trailer while going highway speed.

State Police were assisted on scene by Charlton Fire and EMS, Sturbridge Fire, and MassDOT. Additionally, two citizens who stopped at the crash scene assisted troopers in attempting to gain access to the victim.

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