WESTON, Mass. — A new video from the state police association of Massachusetts shows a tractor-trailer carrying U.S. mail, crossing the Route 128 ramp, going right past the guardrail, down the embankment, and into the Charles River.
The plunge happened around noon Saturday. Firefighters say the driver was unable to swim but was able to get out and stand on the broken front of the trailer and wait for help before it sank.
“He was just saying he was really cold,” said Deputy Fire Chief Justin Woodside. “By the time that the state police called us and we got to the call and responded to the call say seven, eight, nine-minute Mark. So he had already been wet in what was probably the low 30-degree water.”
Wearing cold water rescue suits, firefighters brought him to shore and medics took him to Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Police are investigating the exact circumstances leading up to the accident, but signs are warning of this exact concern on Route 128.
“Since they have taken out the toll booths there at what used to be Interchange 14 at the Mass Pike, we’ve seen an increase in tractor-trailer rollovers on both of those ramps,” said Woodside. “Usually we see them roll over and they end up on the bridge and we said one of these days somebody’s going to be going either fast or something’s going to happen and they’re going to end up in the river.”
The truck broke in half coming out of the river, but Police say many of the packages inside were able to be recovered.
The Department of Environmental Protection and the Mail Inspector were notified.
USPS told us in a statement, “The disposition of any mail on board will be determined by Postal Inspectors once their investigation is completed.”
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