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Truck that might have protected workers in I-695 crash left parked, unattended

NTSB I-695 Crash vehicle photo
Posted at 1:16 PM, Apr 11, 2024
and last updated 2024-04-11 15:43:57-04

The NTSB has released its docket of information on the I-695 crash that killed 6 workers last March.

MORE: The 695 tragedy: one year later

Included in the evidence in the docket is an hour-long video showing the lead-up to the accident, the actual accident, and the immediate aftermath.

The video shows that for 45 minutes the truck with the truck-mounted attenuator was in a position that left open the barrier, leaving workers vulnerable to wayward cars.

A truck-mounted attenuator is a device designed to absorb the impact of a crash, protecting the people in front of the truck.

A driver, later identified as Lisa Lea, attempted to move into the left-most lane, while another driver, Melachi Brown was there. From the video of the accident and from the factual report of the investigation document also included in the docket, it appears that when Lea attempted to change lanes, her car collided with Brown's pushing his car into the concrete barrier.

RELATED: Changing driving culture and laws: Lt. Gov's push forward following the 695 tragedy

Melachi Brown Car NTSB.png
NTSB photo of one of the crash vehicles after the I-695 crash.

After that, Lea's car went through the opening of the barrier to the work zone, driving through pallets of concrete drains that were there for construction purposes. The six workers, Mahlon Simmons II, Mahlon Simmons III, Jose Escobar, Carlos Escobar, Sybil DiMaggio, and Rolando Ruiz, were killed at the scene.

MORE: Husband of I-695 crash victim shares their heartbreaking love story

According to the data released in the technical report, Brown was driving 124 miles per hour just 1 and a half seconds before impact with Lea's car. By the time he impacted, he'd applied the service break, taken his foot off the accelerator entirely, and was going 111 miles per hour.

Four seconds before the crash, Lea was driving 121 miles per hour, and accelerated in the last second and a half to the crash.

The lawyers for Sybil Dimaggio have released a statement prior to a press conference planned for Friday, April 12.

It said in part, "there are simple measures of protection which can be implemented to help them. This NTSB Report speaks directly to the failure to properly implement them on this tragic day."