Highways scoured after grate hits driver

N. Easton man seriously injured on Route 128

By John R. Ellement and Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Work crews carrying blowtorches fanned out across Massachusetts highways yesterday, searching for loose storm drain grates to weld shut, after a tractor-trailer dislodged a 250-pound cast-iron grate on Route 128 in Westwood, sending it flying through the windshield of a car and severely injuring the driver.

State officials said they believed that the grate that injured 39-year-old Pawel Swierczynski of North Easton had been welded to its cast-iron socket sometime between Wednesday morning and Thursday night, after drivers reported a series of loose storm grates in the area.

Luisa M. Paiewonsky, commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department, said the agency was investigating how the grate came loose. State Police were also probing the accident. Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating's office said it was closely watching the case, but declined to say whether the investigation could lead to criminal charges against state agencies or the contractors involved.

"The question we have to answer is why did one particular catch basin become dislodged and essentially become a projectile," Paiewonsky said in a telephone interview. "The quality of the work and what went wrong is all going to be the subject of the investigation that started right after the incident. Right now, we don't have any idea what caused this to be dislodged."

Paiewonsky said she was not sure how many grates might be in travel lanes on state highways, but said there are probably fewer than 50 locations to check. The vast majority are on highway shoulders and would only be in travel lanes if construction is forcing cars to detour onto the shoulder, she said.

"If we find one even rattling slightly in its frame, we're going to take immediate action," Paiewonsky said. "We're going to make sure everything is nice and snug."

The 24 grates near the scene of the accident are usually on the shoulder, but were in the northbound travel lanes because traffic had been shifted onto the shoulder at 5 a.m. Wednesday to make way for construction crews that are widening the highway. Crews rewelded the grates after the accident yesterday, and Paiewonsky said they would be inspected daily.

Swierczynski, a software engineer and married father of two, was headed to his job on the North Shore. He was driving north in the middle lane when the grate crashed through the windshield of his 2003 Toyota Corolla at about 5:30 a.m. The 2-foot-by-2-foot square, known in highway engineering circles as a catch basin, ended up in his back seat.

Swierczynski, who was wearing a seat belt, swerved and crashed into a concrete barrier. State Police did not say yesterday how fast he was driving. He was flown to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where he was listed late yesterday in critical but stable condition.

The accident snarled traffic for the morning commute and through much of the day, at one point backing up cars for 13 miles. Some drivers reported being stuck in traffic for several hours. Northbound lanes were not completely reopened until about 7 p.m.

Some drivers were also badly shaken by the accident, particularly because several had reported driving over loose storm grates this week. To some, the accident recalled the death of 38-year-old Milena Del Valle from falling concrete in a Big Dig tunnel last July.

Martin Jacobs of Norwell said he called 911 after he drove over a loose grate Wednesday morning. A truck ahead of him swerved to avoid the grate, and then he barely cleared it in his sport utility vehicle.

"It was out of its frame, and it was sticking up maybe 8 or 10 inches," Jacobs said. "If a tire had hit it, it would have blown the tire out or taken the tire right off."

Tom Plaziak of Quincy said he, too, drove over a loose storm grate near Exit 13 on his morning commute earlier this week.

"It made a loud clanging sound," Plaziak said. "You could definitely hear it."

State Police said they forwarded the reports to MassHighway. Paiewonsky said her agency then sent crews to weld shut the grates.

"We immediately directed the contractor to secure all 24 catch basin covers to their frames in that construction zone," Paiewonsky said.

Kathy Aiello -- a spokeswoman for contractor SPS New England Inc., a Salisbury construction firm -- said the company was taking part in the investigation.

"Right now, we have just been meeting with MassHighway and cooperating with them as they undertake a full investigation as to what the situation with the grate is and was and why it came loose," Aiello said. "We're not going to speculate as to what caused the accident."

In Easton, Swierczynski's neighbors were stunned. They described him as devoted to his wife, Beata, and their two children, an 11-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. The family moved to a quiet side street in town about five years ago, they said. The couple were born in Poland.

Beata Swierczynski teaches at a Montessori school in Quincy, neighbors said.

"He's a great family man," neighbor Janice Ledwith said.

Ellement reported from Westwood and Easton; Levenson from Boston

 

This was found at Boston.com

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