Mass. company invents tool to clear snow, ice from tractor-trailers

ERVING, Mass. — It's a terrifying experience. One second you're driving down the road, and the next huge chunks of snow and ice are flying right toward you.

It's a scenario we've reported on multiple times, but a local company says there's a simple solution to prevent this.

Mike Hills saw his life flash before his eyes last month.

"I had that half second where time stopped. I didn't know what was going to happen," said Hills. "I was actually holding the steering wheel pushing away cringing because I thought, 'Oh what is this going to feel like when it hits my face, I'm going to lose teeth or die.'"

Hills survived and didn't lose any teeth, but his Nissan is a mangled mess. His dashcam video captured the moment a large piece of ice flew off a tractor-trailer that was rounding a turn on Route 2 in Erving last month and smashed into his car.

>> Girl injured after ice falls off tractor-trailer, smashes windshield

"It just slid right off the top of his truck and there's this ice missile the size of a cello that is suddenly tumbling in the air in front of me, you know," said Hills.

The driver kept going, didn't even slow down, and likely had no idea what just happened.

Drivers in Massachusetts can be fined $200 for any ice or snow that flies off their trucks. New technology developed in Mass. is revolutionizing the way to keep trucks safe.

It's simple but does the job.

"This device can clear a truck in about one minute," said Jim Burns.

Jim Burns invented a snow-clearing tool called TrucBrush. It attaches to a front-end loader and safely and quickly clears snow and ice from trailers.

"It's a big broom, it spins at about 200 rotations per minute, remove snow and ice right off the top of trucks and any facility implementing this can clear a fleet of 50 trucks in under an hour," said Burns.

Which will make the roads a lot safer - something Mike Hills certainly appreciates.

>> 19-year-old driver narrowly avoids injury when ice crashes through windshield

Drivers remember the law doesn't only apply to trucks. Always clear ALL snow from your vehicle before driving. 

Police issue warning after ice & snow crash through windshields in Mass. & NH

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