Fatal rollover snarls Route 1

SAUGUS – A truck rollover resulted in the death of the driver Wednesday afternoon on Route 1 South, just beyond the Walnut Street overpass.State Police Sgt. Tom Ryan said the operator was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash occurred at 2 p.m. on the side of the highway opposite the Continental Restaurant.?The dump truck rolled over on its side, and the operator subsequently died on impact,” Ryan said. “There were other vehicles involved, but we?re still working on the details of how many.”The victim, an adult male, has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, Ryan said. Ryan also could not say for whom the driver worked.Information collected in the investigation by Trooper Roland Cormier indicated that the man was traveling when his vehicle struck the left side guardrail, causing it to roll onto its side before returning to an upright position in the roadway, police said in a statement.The accident resulted in the closure of Route 1 South, as well as the cloverleaf exchange that connects Walnut Street with the highway, while emergency equipment was brought in. The highway was subsequently reopened, but traffic remained backed up for a while, police said.?We?re just getting through rush hour now, but there was significant impact at the time of the accident,” Ryan said. “Roads and certain lanes experienced closures for several hours, but they?re now open.”Saugus Police Lt. Ronald Giorgetti said State Police is the investigating agency.The cause of this crash remains under investigation with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and State Police Detectives assigned to the Essex District Attorney?s Office. State Police were assisted on scene by Saugus Fire and EMS, the Saugus Police Department, and members of the State Police Community Action Team, police said.