Arlington man struck and killed on Interstate 91

A 56-year-old Arlington man was killed Monday evening after he was struck by a tractor trailer in the southbound lane of Interstate 91 near a closed rest area on the Springfield-Rockingham town line.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20110615/NEWS02/706159869

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http://www.reformer.com/localnews/ci_18274159

Published June 15, 2011 in the Rutland Herald
Arlington man struck and killed on Interstate 91

By SUSAN SMALLHEER

ROCKINGHAM — A 56-year-old Arlington man was killed Monday evening after he was struck by a tractor trailer in the southbound lane of Interstate 91 near a closed rest area on the Springfield-Rockingham town line.

David Santore was in the travel portion of the highway when he was struck by the truck operated by Sylvain Beliveau, 49, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, according to Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. John Hagen.

State Police spokeswoman Stephanie Dasaro said it appeared that Santore “intentionally entered the travel portion” of the highway and was struck by the oncoming truck.

Hagen said that the incident was still under investigation, but he said that Santore’s Jeep Cherokee was parked nearby and was not broken down.

The incident occurred near the closed southbound rest area between Exits 6 and 7 on I-91, and Santore’s Jeep was parked in the merge lane leaving the rest area heading south.

The fatality, which occurred at about dusk, shut down the southbound lane of the highway for several hours, Hagen said. Santore and Beliveau did not know each other, he said.

While there were no eyewitnesses to the crash, he said several people came upon the scene immediately, pulled over and called 911.

The state had closed the two rest areas — there is another rest area in the northbound lane — about two years ago because of increasing vandalism and criminal behavior at the areas. There was a murder in the southbound lane in the mid-1980s.

“This was not a murder,” said Hagen, who was one of about a half-dozen Vermont State Police officers who investigated the incident, which occurred at 8:45 p.m.

Windham County State’s Attorney Tracy Shriver said that police were investigating the case. She said she was notified late Monday night, but did not go to the scene.

Rockingham Volunteer Fire Department and the Vermont Agency of Transportation also assisted with the investigation, Hagen said.