Local News
Justin Obert was “the very heartbeat and pulse of this company,” Tasha Trucking & Propane said.
Tractor-trailer driver Justin Obert was killed in a rollover crash in Danvers Monday. GoFundMe
The tractor-trailer driver killed Monday in a rollover crash on the North Shore has been identified as 61-year-old Justin Obert, a Plymouth father of nine.
Obert was fatally injured when his Peterbilt tractor and a Honda Pilot were involved in a crash on Interstate 95 near Danvers and Peabody around 10:45 a.m., the Essex County District Attorney’s Office said.
Both vehicles left the roadway, with the tractor-trailer rolling and striking a guardrail, the DA’s office said. Both occupants in the Honda declined medical attention, but Obert was declared dead at the scene.
Monday’s crash remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police and the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the DA’s office said.
Tasha Trucking & Propane in Harwich identified Obert as one of its drivers, describing him as “the very heartbeat and pulse of this company.”
“He embodied all the qualities of what it truly meant to be a company man,” Tasha Trucking wrote on Facebook. “He earned the respect of his peers in the trucking industry and his coworkers as one of the nicest guys that would do just about anything for anyone.”
Obert was “a true family man” who set out each day to provide for his wife and children, the company added.
A GoFundMe page to help Obert’s family with funeral costs and living expenses had raised nearly $119,000 as of Friday afternoon.
“Justin was more than just a truck driver — he was the backbone of his family and a familiar, respected face throughout the New England community,” the fundraiser description reads. “His work ethic was unmatched, and his dedication never went unnoticed by those who knew him. To his family, he was everything — a loving husband, a devoted father, a doting grandfather, and someone who always showed up when it mattered most.”
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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