Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, January 2023

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, January 2023

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. We will be releasing a year in review for 2022 in the coming weeks to highlight common issues. You can read the year in review for 2021 here.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in December; eight were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in January 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 17 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in January in the MassDOT Crash portal, 4 were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in January was 59.5.
  • 2 of the crashes were hit & runs.

Date1/9/2023, 4:51 PM
Location90 South Main St.
TownSharon
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age71
SexM

The Sharon, MA Police Department shared on Facebook that 71 year-old Joel Singer was struck and killed by a driver on South Main Street at Chestnut Street. Multiple commenters reference drivers driving very fast in the town. One commenter made note of dark streets in Sharon:

But have to add one more thing that should be addressed: lack of proper street lighting in Sharon. I have noticed that the street lights are either very dim or far apart (not all streets are like that but many are) such that there are several dark patches.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides. The speed limit is 30mph. Google Street View shows Sharon’s town hall at this location near a signalized intersection with crosswalks.


Date1/20/2023, 10:35 PM
LocationMelnea Cass Blvd. + Mass Ave.
TownBoston
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age73
SexM

WCVB reports that a 73-year old man was walking and pushing a wheelchair when he was struck by the driver of a vehicle. The driver fled the scene; authorities located a vehicle of interest based on dashcam footage from another vehicle.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, part of this intersection is under MassDOT jurisdiction (Mass Ave Connector) and a portion is under local jurisdiction (Mass Ave, Melnea Cass Blvd, and Southampton St). From dashcam footage, it appears the crash location is under local jurisdiction. Both Melnea Cass Blvd and Mass Ave are two-way streets, with 1-2 turning lanes and 2 through lanes in each direction with a pedestrian island. The speed limit is 30mph.


Date1/23/2023, 11:46 AM
Location91 Concord Rd. EAST
TownActon
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age66
SexF

WCVB reports that a 66-year old woman was struck and killed while checking her mail by the driver of a dark-colored van that fled the scene; the driver later contacted police. The article notes it was the third hit-and-run in Acton in the past few months.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a walking path on one side of the street next to a cemetery, on the opposite side from where houses are located. The speed limit is 35mph (though a sign near the location on Street View from September 2019 shows 30mph).


Date1/30/2023, 9:13 AM
LocationWest St. (300 Block)
TownPittsfield
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age28
SexF

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Shaloon Milord and her 3-year old daughter were hit near Dorothea Amos Park by 84-year old Pittsfield resident Loraine Utter, who was driving a 2015 Toyota Yaris. Shaloon was transported to a hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides. The speed limit is 25mph.


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

Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022) – anticipated report publication in March 2023


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).

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