Driver killed when his car hits tractor-trailer

A man was killed last night near East Monument Street and Pulaski Highway when his car struck the side of a tractor-trailer hauling 2 tons of steel beams, police said.

Shawn Junie Braxton, 36, of the 3100 block of E. Baltimore St. was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu west in the 5000 block of E. Monument St. about 7 p.m. when he crashed into the tractor-trailer owned by Durrett Sheppard Steel Co., which was leaving the company's parking lot, said Officer Richard McCarthy, a traffic investigator.

The impact drove the car midway under the trailer, McCarthy said.

Braxton, the car's lone occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene, McCarthy said. Firefighters used cutting tools to remove Braxton from the demolished car.

McCarthy said speed apparently contributed to the crash and that there were no signs that Braxton tried to brake before crashing into the rig.

The rig's driver, Yuwsuf Abdul-Ghaffor, 58, of the 2500 block of W. Pratt St., was uninjured, McCarthy said.