The flying metal object that killed a Waterbury woman on Interstate 95 on Saturday was a locking pin from a truck, state police said.
Sara Betancourt, 40, of Waterbury, was killed when the metal object came through the windshield of the Ford Escape her mother was driving on I-95 in Greenwich.
Elizabeth Martinez, 60, of Waterbury, was driving southbound in the center lane, about one mile north of exit 4, around 12:30 p.m. when the object struck her car, Connecticut State Police said.
Police said the object is a 3-and-a-half-inch long threaded bolt, 1-inch in diameter, with a washer welded to it.
It is referred to as a "dog's ear" and state police said it might have malfunctioned or was defective and likely broke away from what police believe is a 1-ton dump truck,
The truck was traveling northbound, based on the path the object flew and police ask anyone who witnessed the accident or knows the identity of the driver or whereabouts of the vehicle to call the State Police in Bridgeport, Troop G at 203-696-2500.
The mother and daughter were heading to New York at the time, the Waterbury Republican-American reports.
