"La. man charged in fatal I-95 truck incident" by Kiera Blessing | Globe correspondent August 22, 2014
A Louisiana man was charged this week after he allegedly continued driving north despite the fatal fall of a man from his truck on Interstate 95 near Burlington last month.
Nicandro Velasquez, 50, of Haughton, La., was arraigned Thursday in Woburn District Court and is being held on $4,000 cash bail and the condition that he surrender his passport, said Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan’s office.
The body of Cliserio Cordova Ferral, 54, also of Louisiana, was found lying on the highway near the Winn Street exit July 26, Ryan’s office said in a statement.
According to authorities, Velasquez and Ferral were traveling to Maine for work when Ferral fell out of the truck onto the roadway. Prosecutors said Velasquez knew Ferral was injured, but continued driving instead of seeking help.
Drivers who had seen a truck near the scene that night reported its description to State Police, who later found a truck and trailer matching that description in Orland, Maine.
Velasquez was charged with leaving the scene of a death and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and must not drive if released on bail, prosecutors said.
He is to return to Woburn District Court for a probable cause hearing Sept. 18.
--more--"
"State Police say debris fell from Chemlsford bridge, damaging vehicle on I-495
Debris fell from a bridge onto a vehicle, breaking its windshield, on Interstate 495 north at the Route 3A overpass in Chelmsford Tuesday afternoon, State Police said. A piece of rusted steel hit the car while it was traveling in the middle lane, said Mike Verseckes, spokesman for the Department of Transportation. No injuries were reported. Verseckes said bridge inspectors found additional pieces of steel that were susceptible to falling, and immediately removed the loose material. Crews then closed the left travel lane to remove additional material that also had signs of corrosion. All lanes were back open by late afternoon. Kristina Egan, director of the Transportation for Massachusetts coalition, said Tuesday’s incident should serve as a warning sign that the state needs to pay special attention to its bridges. She said half the state’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete."
That makes me feel really safe.
Where did all the tax money go? Big Dig debt payments and feathered pension plans?
