Van Impaled By Guardrail, Police Say Driver Was Texting

WEST BARNSTABLE (CBS) – A van was impaled by a guardrail on the Cape Tuesday and police said driving while texting is to blame.

A contractor's van slammed into the front of a guardrail on the eastbound side of Route 6 in West Barnstable around 8 a.m.

According to State Police, about ten feet of the rail went into the van. It tore through the engine compartment and reached all the way into the passenger seat.

The driver, who was the only person in the van, was taken to Cape Cod Hospital with minor injuries. State Police said they believe he was texting while driving just before the crash.

"If he had struck the guardrail three feet further to his right you know it would have come right through his legs," said West Barnstable Fire Chief Joseph Maruca.

Traffic was backed up in the area for about an hour.

The driver's name has not been released. State Police said he's 37-years old and from Bourne. There are no charges at this point in the investigation, but citations are pending, police said.

Chief Maruca told WBZ-TV it's unusual to see a guardrail impale a vehicle like this these days. He said it happened more frequently 30 or 40 years ago with older model guardrails.

"I think the design is such that they're angled and they have crushable ends and so they really shouldn't be impaling a vehicle the way this one did," Chief Maruca said.

Firefighters had to cut the rail with a rotary saw to remove it from the van.