An Ax Flew Through a Driver’s Windshield on the Highway

Image courtesy of Mass. State Police

Talk about a close call.

Massachusetts State Police shared the above image on social media Wednesday after an ax that was on the back of a truck traveling down the highway fell from the vehicle and wedged itself into the windshield of the car behind it, blade first.

Police said around 11 a.m., motorists driving southbound on Interstate 95 “endured a very frightening moment” when the ax, which wasn’t secured tight enough to the back of a dump truck owned by a landscaper, cut through the air and came crashing into the car’s front window.

“Thankfully, the ax only went halfway through the windshield. The passenger who is partially seen in the photo was shaken up—who wouldn’t be?—but not injured,” police said in a statement on their Facebook page.

The officer that responded to the scary scene fined the driver of the landscaping truck—a man from Peabody—for failing to secure his cargo, which carries a $200 citation, according to police.

Officers said if the driver of the car that was hit by the hatchet hadn’t been obeying the speed limit, 65 mph, the increased velocity would have caused the ax to go all the way through the window, injuring the passenger.

“We are very thankful that this situation did not have a worse ending,” police said, adding that drivers of all vehicles should always be sure that cargo strapped to their cars is securely fastened.