Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver

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A truck driver was killed Wednesday morning after a manhole cover exploded on the Cross Bronx Expressway and flew through the truck's windshield, hitting the driver in the head, police say. 

The 35-year-old tractor-trailer driver was going westbound in the middle lane of the Cross Bronx Expressway near Jerome Avenue at about 5:30 a.m., according to police.  A manhole cover went through the front windshield and hit him in the head. 

The truck collided with another tractor-trailer in the lane to its left, police said.  The driver of that truck was not hurt. 

The driver struck by the manhole cover, identified as Jose Duran of Springfield, Massachusetts, was pinned inside and removed by NYPD's Emergency Service Unit.  He was taken to Lincoln Hospital, where he later died, police said. 

It's not clear what caused the manhole cover to explode.  A message has been left with the Department of Transportation.