Man jumps to avoid skidding SUV, falls to death

By Globe Staff

A man trying to avoid a skidding Suburban on the Massachusetts Turnpike jumped over the railing of a bridge in Palmer and fell 50 to 60 feet to his death, State Police said.

Paul M. Oliver, 29, had gotten out of his 2005 Honda Pilot after the car spun out Sunday night and was facing the wrong direction in the westbound lanes of the turnpike on a bridge over the Quaboag River. When Oliver was out of his car, a 1995 GMC Suburban driven by Herb Albertson, 38, of Quincy, began sliding on the snow-covered road, State Police said in a press release.

Oliver, of Enfield, Conn., leapt over the railing of the bridge to avoid the skidding Suburban and fell to the rocks below. He suffered fatal injuries in the fall and was declared dead at the scene, State Police said.

The left lane of the westbound turnpike was closed for three hours. The death is considered an accident, State Police said.

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