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Lt. Gov. Murray Unhurt In Car Crash

Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray said he escaped serious injury when the state-issued vehicle he was driving hit a patch of ice early Wednesday and rolled over on a state highway.

Murray, who was alone in the vehicle at the time of the crash, said he was not impaired and asked state police to conduct a field sobriety test so there would be no questions.

"I asked the trooper ... for everyone's protection and to ensure that no one can question, I asked them to do a field breath test," Murray said at a news conference outside Gov. Deval Patrick's State House office.

"I blew a 0.00," he said, meaning there was no alcohol in his system.

Murray, a Worcester resident, said he awakened early and had gone out to get coffee, pick up a newspaper and survey damage from the weekend snowstorm. He was driving on Interstate 190 in Sterling, a town just north of Worcester, when he struck the patch of ice and the vehicle rolled over. He said he was wearing his seat belt and the car's air bag deployed.

Asked how fast he was driving, Murray said: "I believe I was around the speed limit."

Murray, who was wearing a bandage on his hand as a result of the crash, was not hospitalized and continued on his regular daily schedule, which included chairing a meeting of the Governor's Council.

The car sustained serious damage, he said.

"I'm OK, there was damage to the vehicle," Murray said. "People need to be careful, myself included."

State police were investigating the crash and were expected to release a report on it later in the day.

Murray said it was not uncommon for him to get up early and leave his home as he did on Wednesday.

Murray, a Democrat and former mayor of Worcester, is in his second term as lieutenant governor.

This article was originally published on November 02, 2011.

This program aired on November 2, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

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