WEST BOYLSTON, Massachusetts — The driver of a propane truck was flown by helicopter to a hospital after the truck overturned in a crash on Interstate 190 in West Boylston on Sunday night, November 8, and the highway stayed closed in both directions into Monday, with Massachusetts transportation officials expecting disruption to last through midday. The crash was reported at about 8:30 p.m. near mile marker 6.8, close to the Holden town line, Boston 25 News reported.
Source: Boston 25 News, via The New England Signal, Nov. 9, 2026
Massachusetts State Police said the propane truck might be leaking after the crash, and a hazardous-materials team was called in over the possible leak, according to the station's reporting. Police described a multi-vehicle crash, but they did not say what led to it, and the reports published by Monday afternoon did not confirm exactly how many vehicles were involved or how badly the truck driver was hurt.
The driver, and the leak fear that closed a highway
The propane truck's driver was flown to a hospital by helicopter, Boston 25 News reported — a step emergency services usually take when a patient's injuries may be serious or time-critical, though officials had not released the driver's condition by Monday afternoon. No other injuries had been reported in the accounts published by Monday afternoon.
The second emergency was invisible. Because the overturned truck was carrying propane, state police treated a possible leak as a live risk and brought in a hazmat team, Worcester County News reported. Until specialists confirm a propane load is not venting, responders keep people and traffic well back — which is why a single-truck crash can close an entire interstate for many hours.
Closures through the night, and into the Monday commute
Through Sunday night, northbound drivers were sent off I-190 at Exit 4 and southbound drivers were diverted at Exit 9, while the Exit 6 ramps were shut completely, Boston 25 reported. Boston 25's traffic service, carrying Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) incident reports, listed the northbound highway as closed between Exit 4 (Route 12) and Exit 9 (Route 140) because of the overturned propane truck, with the southbound left lane also blocked in Holden before Exit 4.
Source: Boston 25 News traffic / MassDOT incidents, Nov. 9, 2026
By Monday morning the picture had only partly eased. Citing MassDOT, Boston 25 reported the northbound side of I-190 was still blocked at mile marker 4, forcing every northbound driver off at Exit 4; the Exit 4 northbound on-ramp was also closed, and one southbound lane remained closed at mile marker 4. Delays were expected to last through midday while crews cleaned up after the crash and a fuel spill. Police had spoken the night before of a possible propane leak; the later reports did not say what fuel had spilled, or how much.
Drivers heading through West Boylston and Holden were urged to stay away from the I-190 corridor if they could, and to expect diversions around Exit 4 and Exit 9. Check MassDOT's current incident listings before travelling — the advertised midday timeline was an expectation, not a guaranteed reopening time.
Why this stretch of I-190 matters
I-190 is the interstate spur that carries traffic north from Worcester, Massachusetts' second-largest city, toward Leominster and Fitchburg, linking the I-290 and I-495 corridors. It is a daily commuter route and a working freight route for central Massachusetts — the kind of road where a hazmat closure pushes trucks and commuters alike onto smaller local roads, including Route 12 and Route 140 near the diversion exits, slowing both.
For truck drivers — including the many Punjabi-American drivers who haul fuel and freight across New England — a propane incident is a familiar worst case: the load itself dictates the response. An overturned tanker cannot simply be towed away; the cargo has to be assessed, and if necessary transferred or vented under hazmat supervision, before wreckers can right the truck and the road can reopen.
What happens next
Massachusetts State Police are investigating the crash; as of Monday afternoon they had not announced a cause, a confirmed vehicle count, or the driver's condition. The remaining work at the scene — hazmat clearance, fuel-spill cleanup and removal of the overturned truck — will decide when the closed lanes and ramps reopen, and MassDOT's incident listings are the official source for that timing. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if police release the driver's condition or a cause.