When Harry Chapin’s car swerved in front of the semi owned by Rickles Home Center of Paramus, N.J., the impact crushed the back of the VW and as both vehicles hurled down the highway, sparks ignited the VWs engine, which exploded, per The New York Times. The truck driver, Robert Eggleton, jumped out of his truck, cut Chapin’s seatbelt, and dragged him out through the window, according to the AP and UPI.
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An ambulance rushed Harry Chapin to Nassau County Medical Center where they pronounced him dead a little more than half an hour after the accident. Initial reports indicated Chapin had suffered a heart attack, but the doctors didn’t know if it had occurred before or after the accident. Chapin had burns and severe internal injuries. An autopsy revealed the crash’s impact lacerated his aorta, causing “massive hemorrhaging into his chest cavity,” per UPI. The medical examiner in the case said the report of Chapin suffering a heart attack had been incorrect. The question remained of why Chapin had been driving erratically.
