The grisly accident, which happened at approximately 6 a.m. near exit 16, shut down sections of the highway to exit 33 for about six hours as state police combed the interstate, locating "possible evidence" along the stretch of the roadway between the two exits.
Authorities are not releasing the driver's identity, age or hometown as the next of kin has not yet been notified about his death. A spokesman for the police would only say the driver was male.
According to the accident report, the unidentified driver was operating a 2006 Nissan truck owned by Omega Transport Co, Inc. out of Pine Brook, N.J.
The truck was traveling northbound near exit 16 when it veered into the center median and rolled over. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries.
"Unfortunately, (the driver) had been struck I would imagine several times by other vehicles," after he was ejected from the truck and hit the highway, said Norwalk Deputy Fire Chief David Lepus, who was on the scene after the accident. "It was dark and it was raining."
Lepus added "There was a lot of debris from the accident," including human remains and cargo from the truck.
The "debris," which was strewn on the road near exit 16 and exit 33 in Stratford, resulted in lane closures between exits 16 and 17 and exits 33 and 34 from around 6 a.m. to noon.
Lepus said he had "no idea what caused the accident" and noted that it is under investigation by state police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Troop G at (203) 696-2500.
Education Reporter Lauren Garrison can be reached at (203) 354-1005 or lgarrison@thehour.com.
