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‘I Thought I Was Going to Die': NHDOT Worker Injured by Ice From Truck

A New Hampshire state worker had a deep gash on his face after a large piece of ice came flying off a truck, smashing right through his windshield.

William Taylor of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has eight to nine stitches, a fat lip and other cuts on his face.

"I thought I was going to die," he said.

It happened as Taylor was driving home from work Thursday on Route 101 westbound in Raymond. A thick sheet of ice came off a cargo container on a truck.

"It just had a sheet of ice on the top of it, that was close to six inches thick," said Taylor. "I saw it coming. It was somersaulting through the air pretty slowly."

Taylor was about five car lengths behind the truck, but he says that with cars around him, he couldn't swerve out of the way:

"It was heading straight for my mouth and I just took my head and chin and just took it on the head," he said.

A good Samaritan pulled over to help him and called 911.

Taylor says the the truck driver knew what happened.

"He pulled over on the shoulder about a quarter mile up the road," he said. "As soon as the ambulance showed up, he took off."

NH state police also using this as a reminder of Jessica's Law, which says failing to clear ice and snow off your vehicle constitutes negligent driving.

"There's no good excuse to not remove this stuff from your vehicles," Taylor said. "I strongly encourage the driver to turn themselves in, because it will go much better for you than if they track you down."

New Hampshire State Police say ask anyone who witnessed the incident to call them. They're looking for any information to help find the truck driver.

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