A Massachusetts passenger was almost chopped to death when an axe came flying out of the sky and struck the windshield of the car, state police said.

The car was driving southbound along Route 95 in Topsfield at around 11 a.m. Wednesday when an axe flew from the back of the landscaping truck in front and smashed through the windshield.

Images from the scene show an axe lodged halfway through the windshield with the blade touching the dashboard. Both the passenger and driver, whose names were not released, were not harmed.

"Thankfully, the axe only went halfway through the windshield," Massachusetts State Police wrote on Facebook. "The passenger who is partially seen in the photo was shaken up (who wouldn't be?) but not injured."

The axe was not properly secured to the landscaping dump truck when it flew from the rear into the car behind it. Responding state trooper Joseph Risteen, of the Newbury Barracks, issued the truck driver a citation and $200 fine for failure to secure the axe. Police did not give the driver's name in their report.

Drivers who transport items such as building materials, luggage, furniture, bicycles and canoes are required to secure them to the vehicle, police said.

However, the frightening incident could have been much worse. The motorist was traveling at a safe distance because he was obeying the speed limit, authorities said.

"If he had been speeding, the increased velocity of his car would have increased the power of the axe's impact, meaning it could very well have gone through the glass and injured his passenger," police said.

"We are very thankful that this situation did not have a worse ending," police added.