A civilian employee of the NYPD died Wednesday morning after a truck’s tire flew into the windshield of his car as he was driving on the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn, police said.
Robert Martinez, 64, was driving a 2003 Chevy Tracker east on the highway in the HOV lane at about 6:30 a.m. when a tire from a 2009 Mack Garbage truck going the opposite way came loose, cops said.
The tire shattered Martinez’s windshield and struck him, causing the car to crash into the barrier.
Martinez was found with severe head trauma and taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
The 46-year-old truck driver stayed at the scene, and there were no other injuries reported. It was not immediately clear what position Martinez had with the NYPD.
