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Highway lane reflector smashes into Mass. man's windshield

WRENTHAM, Mass. — Highway lane reflectors are meant to help drivers stay safe, keeping them aware of where their respective lanes are supposed to be. However, they still can present a potentially deadly risk to drivers.

"It was just one of those things…wow look at that," said Rich Mattson, remembering the suddenness. "And then holy crap – boom!"

What caused that boom was a highway lane reflector that lodged just inches from Mattson's face.

"It almost went through the windshield," he said.

Rich was sitting behind his windshield when he saw something fly up into the air. At first, he thought it was a piece of trash, maybe a piece of plastic. But he couldn’t believe what came crashing through his windshield.

"It turns out it was a piece of metal or steel," he remembers.

Rich says he was headed to pick up his two kids at day care after work. As he was passing The Red Rooster in Wrentham, he says he saw something happen further up the road.

"The car in front of me hit something and sent it up into the air," Mattson said, claiming the object went at least 30 feet high. "And I was looking up watching it."

The windshield imploded, spraying glass everywhere. It stunned Rich, his first thought for his kids.

"Thank God my kids aren't in the truck," Mattson said.

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He pulled over took one look and realized his good fortune.

"Oh my God I consider myself the luckiest guy on the face of the earth right now," he said.

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