A 44-year-old man was killed last night on Rte. 128 in Weston after getting out of his vehicle, which was stopped in the breakdown lane, and being hit by a tractor-trailer truck, state police said.
Police said after coming to a stop in the breakdown lane and getting out of his Dodge Durango, the driver was struck by a 2002 Kenworth tractor-trailer. The accident occurred at approximately 5:50 p.m. on the southbound side of Rte. 128 just after Rte. 20.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Police did not release the man's name pending notification of his relatives.
According the state police, preliminary investigations have determined the man was near the white fog line separating the right travel lane and the breakdown lane when he was struck. The identity of the victim was not released.
James Glovacki, 55, of Greenfield, was the driver of the tractor-trailer. He was not injured in the accident, police said.
State Trooper Eric Benson said it was too early to determine if anyone is at fault for the fatal accident.
"This is very preliminary (information). It's extremely early and it's unclear now," said Benson, "It will continue to evolve, I'm sure, for quite some time."
The crash is being investigated by the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section.
The Weston Police, Weston Fire Department and Waltham Police assisted the troopers on scene. The state's medical examiner also responded to the scene.
While the accident scene was investigated and cleared the two right travel lanes were closed for nearly three hours. During that time, traffic was diverted around the accident and into the two left lanes of Rte. 128 South.
Kerri Roche can be reached at kroche@cnc.com or 781-398-8009.
