Man killed in Route 103 crash
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The demolished cab of a truck is being towed from the scene of a crash on Route 103 in Mount Holly on Friday morning. Vyto Starinskas / Rutland Herald |
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By Brent Curtis STAFF WRITER - Published: June 13, 2009
MOUNT HOLLY — A 20-year-old Bellows Falls man was killed in a three-car accident on Route 103 on Friday morning that closed the highway for six hours, according to Vermont State Police.
Cody J. Carr was pronounced dead at the scene on the Winslow Flats portion of the highway — a long, straight stretch of Route 103. The drivers of the two other vehicles involved in the crash suffered minor bumps and bruises that did not require medical treatment.
Police said Carr driving a 2004 GMC 2500 pickup northbound on Route 103 when he veered into the southbound lane, sideswiping a tractor trailer driven by Michael Paterson, 47, of Lebanon, N.H., and clipping the back of 2006 Nissan Sentra driven by Mindybeth Gutzwiller, 29.
State Police Sgt. David Lertola said police aren't sure why Carr swerved into the oncoming lane, but he said it didn't appear he was attempting to pass another car. He also said neither speed nor driver impairment were considered factors in the accident.
"He might have dropped something on the floor or been distracted by a phone call or something else. We're not sure," Lertola said.
A witness driving behind Carr said the 20-year-old's driving had been normal prior to the accident, Lertola said.
When Carr collided with the tractor trailer, his truck began to break apart, police said. Even though he was wearing a seat belt, Carr was thrown from the vehicle when the seat broke loose from the cab, police said.
The collision also ruptured a fuel tank on the tractor trailer which spilled about 100 gallons of diesel fuel onto the roadway. The crash also unbalanced a large wood harvesting machine on the trailer which was leaning against a utility pole after the crash.
Police and Mount Holly firefighters closed a roughly mile long portion of the road from 7 a.m. until after 1 p.m. while work crews cleared the wreckage and used sand to soak up the fuel spill.
Crews responding to the scene included the Mount Holly Fire and Rescue, Shrewsbury Fire Department, Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles enforcement, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Vermont hazardous materials team, Agency of Natural Resources and Central Vermont Public Service.
Anyone who might have witnessed the accident is asked to call State Police at 773-9101.
brent.curtis@rutlandherald.com
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