Alaska man killed when tool pierces windshield on New England highway

DANVERS, Mass. — An Alaska couple’s 45th anniversary trip to New England ended in tragedy before it ever really started after a piece of metal flew off a dump truck on Interstate 95 on Friday, piercing the windshield and killing the husband.

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According to the Massachusetts State Police, 69-year-old Thomas Arrington of Palmer, Alaska, had arrived in the state earlier that day for the long-planned vacation. A concrete screed, a tool used to smooth the building material, fell out of the back of a dump truck traveling in front of Arrington’s rented Ford Fusion as he drove northward, however, and the freak collision proved fatal, MassLive.com reported.

Although Arrington was able to stop the vehicle on the highway, he died almost immediately afterward, troopers told the news outlet.

“My mom especially liked to travel, and my dad would do anything to make my mom happy,” the couple’s daughter, Jennifer Hoadley, told WFXT by phone from Alaska.

Sherri Arrington, 68, was treated at an area hospital for minor injuries and released Saturday, MassLive.com reported.

“He saved my mom’s life. The last thing the selfless man did was make sure my mom was OK, and that’s just who he always was,” Hoadley told WFXT, noting that her father was a teacher who planned to retire next year.

“I just want my dad remembered for being a loving, generous and caring person,” she added.

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