PEABODY — Firefighters had to cut the door and windshield off a sport utility vehicle after the driver crashed into the rear of a parked tractor-trailer yesterday.
The 5 p.m. crash on Lynn Street near the busy County Street intersection snarled traffic for more than an hour until firefighters were able to remove the driver and clear the scene.
The truck was parked on Lynn Street, but the rear of the trailer was far from the curb. There was no one inside the truck's cab at the time of the crash.
The driver of the Ford Explorer, Raymond Hoke, 46, of Lynn, was taken to Salem Hospital by Northshore Ambulance. Firefighters said he was conscious and alert but in pain from the air bag that went off.
Fire Lt. Tom Tremblay said the driver-side door wouldn't open, so firefighters used vehicular extrication tools to remove the door and then pull back the roof in order to then remove the windshield.
Once firefighters had access, Hoke was removed from the car and taken to the hospital.
Part of the Ford's hood was lodged beneath the truck, and a tow truck had to pull it out.
Heather Scanlan, the owner of Ginger's Closet, a consignment shop on 101 Lynn St., said the Ford went past her business at a high rate of speed.
"He came swinging by, and he didn't stop, no brakes, no nothing," Scanlan said.
Police issued a summons to Hoke for negligent driving. Patrolman Richard Rose is investigating the crash.
