Police Identify Maine Man as Victim of I-495 Accident

Massachusetts State Police have identified the man who died Tuesday on Interstate 495 in Haverhill as Wayne Barnes, 43, of Dyer Brook, Maine.

The man died after apparently striking his head while working outside his parked vehicle in the breakdown lane near exit 50 (route 97) northbound in Haverhill. Haverhill emergency medical services responded at about 6:15 p.m., Tuesday, to a Help Van driver’s report of an unresponsive truck driver, according to a statement from state police. The van driver performed CPR until an ambulance arrived at the scene. Haverhill police and fire also assisted state police.

“Preliminary investigation by Trooper Daniel Schumaker indicates that the truck driver, a 43-year-old man from Maine, was having difficulty with his load and stopped in the break down lane in Haverhill to adjust it. While working on fixing the load the driver fell and struck his head. The driver of the Help Van reported he had stopped earlier in the Andover section of route 495 to assist the same driver with fixing his load. The operator was transported to Lawrence General Hospital where he was pronounced deceased,” a state police spokesperson said.

Reports suggest Barnes was carrying paver bricks.

The incident remains under investigation with assistance from State Police Crime Scene Services Section, State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, Essex County Detectives and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).