HATFIELD — A Shelburne man was killed Friday after being thrown from his Toyota Tundra on Interstate 91 when a flat tire caused the truck to swerve and roll over, authorities said.
The 53-year-old man, whom police have not yet named, was found a short distance from the truck. He had been traveling north near Exit 21 when the tire blew out, State Police Trooper Timothy Harris said in a statement. Multiple callers reported the accident to authorities around 4 p.m., police said.
The man had not been wearing a seat belt, police said. He was transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton where he died of his injuries.
An hour after the crash was reported Friday afternoon, debris was scattered all around the vehicle, which lay on its roof in the grassy median. Investigators on the crash site declined comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
The exact cause of the crash has not yet been determined and remains under investigation by the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit, police said.
A man, who did not disclose his name, stood beside his parked freight truck about 300 yards from the accident. The man told a Gazette reporter he was driving north on I-91 when he noticed, in his rearview mirror, the pickup truck flip over into the median after a tire blew out.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com or 413-585-5234.