Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.
Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in September; four were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in October 2023. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” Any Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.
- Of the 31 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in October in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking.
- 5 of the 6 pedestrian crashes had the ‘speed limit’ field blank in the Road Inventory Viewer.
- The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in October was 63.3
| Date |
10/8/2023, 7:50 PM |
| Location |
Summit St. + Christina Dr. |
| Town |
Peabody |
| Type |
PEDESTRIAN |
| Age |
61 |
| Sex |
M |
MassLive reports 61-year old Robert King was crossing the road on Summit Street near Christina Drive when they were hit by a car around 7:40 p.m. on Oct. 7. King died at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Summit St is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street. There is a crosswalk at Christina Drive in Google Street View from 2020. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database, and there are no nearby speed limit signs on Google Street View.
| Date |
10/12/2023, 7:52 AM |
| Location |
777 West St. |
| Town |
Pittsfield |
| Type |
PEDESTRIAN |
| Age |
49 |
| Sex |
M |
The Berkshire Eagle reports 49-year old Shane Cassavant was struck by a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado truck driven by 87-year-old Edward Ladouceur. The Pittsfield Police said Ladouceur did not go around the construction zone, and instead drove into it, striking Cassavant with his truck as Cassavant worked in the road.
From the Berkshire Eagle article:
West Street has been the focus of community conversations around making roadways safer for pedestrians after a local mother, Shaloon Milord, was killed after she was struck in a crosswalk on West Street in January while walking her young child to the bus stop.
The city has proposed a series of road changes designed to slow traffic over a mile stretch of the road, including the area where Milord was fatally injured, near Dorothy Amos Park. But that project would end at Valentine Road approximately a half a mile to the east from the apparent site of Thursday’s crash.
The fatal pedestrian crash on West Street in Pittsfield in January also involved a driver in their 80s.
According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, West Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There are no sidewalks. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; however, an image in the Berkshire Eagle article shows a 40mph speed limit sign.
| Date |
10/19/2023, 12:56 PM |
| Location |
Main St. + Mountain Ave. |
| Town |
Malden |
| Type |
PEDESTRIAN |
| Age |
63 |
| Sex |
F |
WCVB reports 63-year old Mary McTaggart, pushing groceries on the sidewalk, was struck and killed after a multi-car crash in Malden. Investigators say the driver of a BMW SUV slammed into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement SUV that was stopped at this light before the BMW careened off the road, hitting several poles and striking the woman on the sidewalk.
Boston 25 News spoke to someone who had recently seen the victim:
Madina Adolph fought back tears after finishing her first day volunteering in the food pantry of a nearby YMCA. She tells Boston 25 she had just served the woman.
“I cannot believe I just help her get food it just a sad thing you know life is too short,” said Adolph.
According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Main Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of the street. The intersection of Main Street and Mountain Avenue has a traffic signal. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database.
| Date |
10/26/2023, 7:35 PM |
| Location |
19 City Hall Ave. |
| Town |
Gardner |
| Type |
PEDESTRIAN |
| Age |
59 |
| Sex |
M |
We could not find any additional news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.
According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, City Hall Avenue is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on both sides. There is diagonal parking on one side and parallel parking on the other side of the street. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database.
| Date |
10/27/2023, 6:01 PM |
| Location |
265 Pleasant St. |
| Town |
Marblehead |
| Type |
PEDESTRIAN |
| Age |
80 |
| Sex |
M |
The Marblehead Current reports 80-year old Karl Johnson was struck and killed while crossing Pleasant between Smith Street and Mohawk Road.
From the Current article:
Resident Dan Albert, a local safe streets advocate who has researched Pleasant Street, called for more action.
“Speeding continues to be a problem along the 25 mph roadway, despite the recent fatalities and ongoing concerns,” said Albert. “We have lots of data to show us the danger points. And those are not crash data.”
He added, “I would like to know, ‘How are the police using the data that they have from the new speed advisory signs?’”
Albert argues that the busy corridor should be evaluated for a “road diet,” reducing lanes and lane widths to slow cars.
“Pleasant Street may be wide enough to accommodate more and current traffic volumes, including bicycle lanes,” he said. “Narrower lanes themselves can slow speeds. So there are two benefits — slower traffic and more space for other uses.”
Town officials note traffic and street changes should occur as incremental steps to improve safety through traffic calming and enhanced visibility of crosswalks.
In 2022, the town installed bump-outs at three crosswalks along Pleasant Street near Mohawk Road, Smith Street, and on West Shore Drive. The curb extensions narrow the roadway width at crossing points to reduce pedestrian exposure and slow approaching traffic.
According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Pleasant St/MA-114 is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on each side. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; the Marblehead Current articles states it is 25mph.
| Date |
10/27/2023, 6:24 PM |
| Location |
235 State St. |
| Town |
Springfield |
| Type |
PEDESTRIAN |
| Age |
68 |
| Sex |
M |
A MassLive obituary shares that Michael Cooley, a lifelong resident of Springfield, died at the age of 68 after being struck by a motorist while crossing the street in front of his apartment at the Classical Condominiums on State Street. State Street was the deadliest street in Springfield for pedestrians in 2021.
From his obituary:
An indominable optimist with an irrepressible sense of humor and a love of his own jokes, Michael was an active member of Rotary and Sinai Temple, a Board Member of Pathlight, a past Grand Master of his Masonic Lodge, and an enthusiastic participant and volunteer at Grey House, the Salvation Army, the Golden Age Club, and Just Faith. He never missed a Sunday making sandwiches for Springfield’s homeless population or the chance to volunteer to help someone in need.
Springfield has never had a more loyal sports fan that Michael. In good times and bad, he was there as a jersey-wearing season ticket holder to cheer on the Falcons, the Thunderbirds, UMass basketball and football teams. Although he had physical challenges and special needs his whole life, Michael was oblivious to his own limitations or those of others. Age, race, religion, and “disability” were distinctions without differences to him except when they called forth a chance to help.
According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, State Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with two travel lanes in each direction. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.
Updates
If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our 2023 list. WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.
Yearly trackers: | ||||| 2022 | 2023
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022)
Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal
MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).
Topics of conversation included how inclusive community spaces can compel pedestrians to visit downtown areas, fostering the desire to walk and increase walkability. Additionally, it was discussed how pop-up community spaces can serve as a vector for community engagement and facilitate civic engagement. Both teams identified key overlaps and discussed how to best support each other as they think about their respective work in environmental justice communities, each with their own unique needs. Both organizations are actively pursuing partnerships with communities across the Commonwealth, particularly beyond Greater Boston.