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July 14, 2006

Pawtucket man killed in early morning crash on 95

PAWTUCKET – A 28-year-old Pawtucket man died early this morning when the Lexus he was driving on Interstate 95 north drove into the breakdown lane and crashed into a tractor trailer that had stopped there.

Alex Pires, of 32 Williams St., crashed into the tractor trailer at 2:25 a.m. near Exit 26, the Lonsdale Ave. exit, state police Sgt. Frank Rohan said. The 1992 Lexus ended up wedged underneath the trailer and needed to be extricated, Rohan said.

Pires died at the scene of the crash, Pawtucket fire and rescue crews told the state police.

State troopers notified Pires’ family about the accident, which is still under investigation. The police do not know why he pulled into the breakdown lane, Rohan said.

The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured, Rohan said.

Piotr Mrugaoski, 50, of 16845 Palm St. in Hesperia, Calif., told state troopers he had pulled over to check a road map. It is not unusual for drivers of large rigs to do so because they cannot take just any exit since they might get stuck or lost, Rohan said.

Mrugaoski was not cited for any violations, Rohan said. He was driving a 2006 Freightliner truck owned by New Prime Inc. of 2740 North Mayfair in Springfield, Missouri. The standard 40-plus foot box trailer he was pulling sustained more than $1,000 in damage, Rohan said.

The Lexus was destroyed. The roadway is now clear.

Posted by Kate Bramson  at 9:19 AM | Permalink

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