Pickup Truck Kills Man Who Was Standing In Driveway

CANTON (CBS) – A man was struck and killed after being hit by a truck while standing in a driveway Saturday in Canton.

Ralph Hawkins, 74, of Canton, was sent to a Boston hospital following the crash around 11:30 a.m. He died of his injuries, State Police said.

Police said a 2016 white GMC Sierra pickup truck, driven by a 48-year-old Stoughton man, crossed over the lawn of two High Street homes.

After going over the second lawn, the truck hit Hawkins, who was in a driveway.

Hawkins had been helping his neighbor check on her car battery when the truck struck him, a neighbor told WBZ-TV.

"He came over, checked it out, did what he could and was just walking up to the top of the driveway and a huge white pickup truck came, it came through their front yard, took down a tree and kept going and Ralph was standing in the driveway," said Robin Urbon.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene on High Street and did what they could.

"The responding cruisers found an elderly gentleman trapped under a white pickup truck on the lawn," said Canton Police Chief Ken Berkowitz. "They were able to help extricate him with the help of the Canton Fire Department."

Hawkins lived across the street. Neighbors said he would sometimes clear neighbors' driveways after snowstorms, always lending a hand.

"You could ask any of the neighbors he's just such a great guy. Just one of those neighbors that everyone wishes that they had like always helping out everyone," said Ali Urbon.

The driver of the pickup truck wasn't hurt and remained on scene. No charges have been filed at this time.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by state and Canton police.

Meanwhile, neighbors including Mary Ellis are stunned by the fatal crash.

"I just heard a loud thump and, like I said, I thought it was honestly just a truck barreling down the street, so I didn't think anything of it until I heard the sirens, and then I came to the front of my house and peeked out the window and I saw the truck in the yard," she said.