MANSFIELD — State police are trying to determine what caused a truck driver to lose control of his rig before he died in a crash in woods off Interstate 495 early Monday morning.
The victim, Peter Fennell, 55, of Missouri, was pronounced dead at the scene between Interstate 95 and Route 140, state police said.
Troopers were dispatched to the crash just after 3:30 a.m. and found a 2022 Freightliner about 150 feet into the wood line on the southbound side of the highway.
Troopers removed Fennell from the truck and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until Mansfield and Foxboro firefighters arrived.
Despite the efforts of the first responders, Fennell succumbed to his injuries, police said.
According to a preliminary investigation, state police say Fennell was traveling north on I-495 when he crossed the median, across all three southbound lanes and into the woods.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
The cause of the crash is under investigation by state police at the Foxboro barracks and state police accident reconstruction experts and detectives assigned to the Bristol County district attorney’s office.
State police closed I-495 South with the assistance of MassDOT officials and tweeted at 9:15 a.m. that the highway was reopened.
The crash was one of several state police responded to on I-495 Monday morning. In a crash in Wrentham, firefighters reported a car went into the woods.
No serious injuries were reported.
The traffic on the highway was backed up for several hours.
David Linton may be reached at 508-236-0338.
