SWAMPSCOTT - A 58-year-old man died following a single-car accident on Norfolk Avenue on Saturday, less than 500 feet from his home.
Michael Drigotas, of 97 Norfolk Ave., was the only person in the Daewoo he was driving when it struck a tree just before 2 p.m. near 52 Norfolk Ave.
Police Lt. Ted Stephens said police are still investigating the accident and are not sure if Drigotas had suffered a medical condition prior to the crash.
A day after the accident, Drigotas' sister Laurie Cataldo remembered her brother as a hard-working family man who was devoted to his wife, children and grandchildren.
"He did everything for everyone and never asked for anything in return," Cataldo said. "He'd help a stranger out in a heartbeat."
Drigotas was a truck driver for Exxon Mobil for many years and also had a construction business on the side.
One of his first jobs was delivering groceries when he was 13 years old. He also had a job at the former Jordan Marsh Co. in Boston as a kid, where he earned 10 cents for each tin muffin pan he washed, Cataldo said. The former department store made its famous sugar-crusted blueberry muffins until the 1990s, when the company was bought by Macy's.
Drigotas and his family hailed from Chelsea, where he went to Catholic school and eventually graduated from Chelsea High School in 1967.
As a child, he was a Boy Scout, which helped instill a love for the outdoors and the water.
But even as a kid, Cataldo remembers her brother always wanting to work so he could provide for a family and take care of his children.
Drigotas is survived by three children, Michael, Christopher and Tanya; three stepchildren, Michael, Christopher and Robert; and two grandchildren, Gianni and Gino.
He also leaves his wife, Donna, of 15 years.
No information about funeral services was available.
