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Wilmington man dies after his car crashes into a postal truck in Andover

E-mail | Print Posted by Janet Walsh January 29, 2011 11:51 AM

By Christopher J. Girard, Globe Correspondent

A Wilmington man died after crashing his vehicle into a United States Postal Service tractor-trailer early this morning in Andover, according to State Police.

Thomas C. Brennan, 44, was driving on Route 93 southbound "at a high rate of speed" when he rear-ended the tractor-trailer while changing lanes about 1:15 a.m., according to a preliminary investigation, State Police said in a statement released this morning.

Brennan was ejected from his 1995 Cadillac Deville sedan and thrown into a snowbank. The car rolled over and came to a rest on its roof partly in the right lane of traffic, according to the release.

Emergency personnel pronounced Brennan dead at the scene, according to the release. A witness suggested that excessive speed was a contributing factor in the crash. It could not be determined whether Brennan was wearing a seatbelt, according to the release.

The tractor-trailer's driver, a 59-year-old Manchester, N.H. man, was not injured, and maintained control of the 2002 Freightliner F12, according to the release. The tractor-trailer, which was carrying mail, was towed from the scene.

At the crash site, the right and breakdown lanes were closed for two and a half hours, according to the release. No charges were filed.