Author: WalkMassachusetts

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, May 2022

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, May 2022

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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. Earlier this year, we released a year in review for 2021 to highlight common issues.

Last month, we took a look at three fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in April. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in May 2022. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 38 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in May in the MassDOT Crash portal, ten were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in May was 57.
  • At least four of the crash locations either have the speed limit field left blank, or there are conflicting speed limits listed in the MassDOT Road Inventory Tool.
Date 5/4/2022, 8:18 PM
Location 315 Bridge St.
Town Lowell
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 78
Sex M

A 78-year old was struck and killed by the driver of a Toyota Corolla on Bridge Street near the intersection with VFW Highway in Lowell. The Lowell Sun coverage included MassDOT data for this location:

Data released by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shows Bridge Street and VFW Highway experienced more vehicle crashes than any other intersection in the state from 2015 to 2017. The MassDOT’s 2017 Top Crash Locations Report — which includes pedestrian accidents — is based on crashes entered into the Registry of Motor Vehicles Crash Data System. The report shows over the two-year period there were 124 total crashes at the intersection, including 28 crashes that were fatal or caused injury.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. At the intersection with VFW Highway, there is a slip lane and travel lane in one direction, and three lanes in the other direction (two turning lanes and a straight/right turn lane). There is a sidewalk on each side of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 5/8/2022, 3:35 AM
Location I-90 EAST, MM 62
Town Palmer
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 19
Sex M

A 19-year old Palmer man was struck by the driver of a tractor-trailer on the Mass Pike walking near the median. MassLive reported that investigators believe the man was a Palmer resident who had walked up onto the highway after parking his car on North Main Street under an overpass.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes, a shoulder, and a divided median. The speed limit is 65mph.

Date 5/18/2022, 6:38 AM
Location 554 West Chestnut St.
Town Brockton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 50
Sex F

Chafang Wu, age 50, was hit and killed by the driver of a Toyota Prius.

NBC10Boston spoke to the driver behind the woman who struck and killed the person walking:

He was driving down West Chestnut in Brockton when he saw the Prius in front of him suddenly veer off the road and crash into a telephone pole, then a woman laying on the ground.

7News spoke to a neighbor:

I’m just disturbed…Did it have to happen? I don’t think so, and is it going to happen again? Am I gonna be talking to you guys in a month, two months? I hope not.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of W Chestnut Street, and a crosswalk at the intersection of Ash Street to continue along W Chestnut Street, but not to cross W Chestnut. There is a painted shoulder but no sidewalk on the side of the street the woman was struck and killed. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 30mph and 35mph in the database.

Date 5/20/2022, 6:23 AM
Location 63 Causeway St. NORTH
Town Medfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 40
Sex M

Joel E. Wacek, age 40, was struck and killed by the driver of a car while he was running near his home. We could not find any news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and no sidewalks. The speed limit is not listed.

Date 5/22/2022, 9:25 PM
Location 163 Winthrop St.
Town Taunton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 56
Sex M

We could not find any news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one lane and a shoulder in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 40mph and 35mph in the database.

Date 5/27/2022, 11:51 PM
Location 654 South Main St.
Town Haverhill
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 60
Sex F

We could not find any news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction.There is one lane and a shoulder in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 35mph and 30mph in the database.

Date 5/28/2022, 9:17 PM
Location Massachusetts Ave. + Harrison Ave.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 65
Sex M

We could not find any news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. Massachusetts Ave has two travel lanes in each direction with an additional left turning lane at the intersection of Harrison Ave. There is a bike lane and a parking lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides. Harrison Ave has one travel lane and a parking lane in each direction.  There is a sidewalk on both sides. There are crosswalks for all four legs of the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 5/28/2022, 10:55 PM
Location 700 Providence Hwy.
Town Dedham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 59
Sex F

We could not find any news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

Last July, a pedestrian was struck and killed less than a mile away on Providence Highway/Rt1 at Elm Street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are three travel lanes in each direction with a median. There is a sidewalk on each side of the roadway. There is a signal near this location, with crosswalks for 3 of the 4 legs of the intersection. The speed limit is 45mph.

Date 5/29/2022, 8:07 PM
Location Cambridge St. + Blossom St.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 81
Sex M

NBC10Boston reported that a pedestrian was critically injured after a driver struck them on Sunday night at the intersection of Blossom and Cambridge Streets. The Beacon Hill Times reported that the person struck was a West End resident who succumbed to his injuries at an area hospital. The driver fled the scene.

The City of Boston is currently holding outdoor in-person “pop-up” sessions this summer to view project materials, share comments, and ask questions about the redesign of Cambridge Street. They hope to share a near-term concept design soon. Learn more on the project website.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction on Cambridge Street. There is a left turn lane on Cambridge Street onto Blossom Street. There are sidewalks on both sides of each street. There are crosswalks for all four legs of the intersection. The speed limit is 25mph.

Date 5/30/2022, 1:50 AM
Location 1038 Main St.
Town Worcester
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 62
Sex M

Boston25News reported that a driver of a dark colored Audi Sedan hit a 62-year-old man and drove away from the scene; the person who was struck later died.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction. There are sidewalks on both sides of each 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 2022 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)

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).

Event – WalkBoston Walk: Franklin Park (August 24, 2022)

Event – WalkBoston Walk: Franklin Park (August 24, 2022)

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This event was originally scheduled on July 20th, but was rescheduled due to a heat emergency declared by the City of Boston. We hope you’ll be able to join us for our new date: August 24th!

Join us on the new date of August 24th 2022 at 5:30PM for our next walk which will focus on Franklin Park, and is part of Olmsted Now: Greater Boston’s Olmsted Bicentennial taking place in 2022 (this was originally scheduled for July, but it was rescheduled due to the heat emergency). It is also our second group walk of the year, following the Bob Sloane / Muddy River Walk in June. Updates will be available on this page & sent to all registered attendees before the event.

WalkBoston walks typically last 90 minutes, covering 1-1.5 miles and include stops along the way to hear from 3-4 people/organizations who are working on walking-related efforts in the community.

HOW TO GET TO THE START

We’ll start and end at near the Zoo at the William J. Devine Golf Course Clubhouse (1 Circuit Dr, Dorchester, MA 02121), where food and drink is available for purchase. If you’re coming from downtown, consider taking the Orange Line to Jackson Square and riding the 22 Bus via the new Columbus Avenue Bus Lane! Prefer to walk a little more through Franklin Park? You can also get off the Orange Line at Green Street and walk through the park via the Glen Road entrance. Parking is also available nearby.

ROUTE

The walk will focus on Franklin Park, and is part of Olmsted Now. The walk will start and end at the Franklin Park Clubhouse (1 Circuit Dr, Dorchester, MA 02121), which will be open for food/drink at the end.

Transportation close to the clubhouse:

  • 14, 16, 22, 28, 29, 45 buses all are a short walk from the Franklin Park Clubhouse, and can connect you to the Orange and Red lines
  • BlueBikes – Franklin Park Zoo / Franklin Park Rd at Blue Hill Ave
  • Parking is available in a lot by the Clubhouse as well as along Circuit Drive

SPEAKERS

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

This walk is the second in a series of walks that WalkBoston is organizing for Olmsted Now:

Parks and public places are for everyone. Frederick Law Olmsted — reformer, writer, Boston transplant and America’s first landscape architect — is about to turn 200. Olmsted Now, Greater Boston’s Olmsted Bicentennial, is an invitation to actively shape a more equitable, verdant and vibrant city. Show up. Be seen. Share your story.

Joint Comment Letter Re: Seaport Square Notice of Project Change

Joint Comment Letter Re: Seaport Square Notice of Project Change

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June 17, 2022

To: Nick Carter, BPDA
Re: Seaport Square Notice of Project Change

Dear Mr. Carter,

Our collective organizations are pleased to provide comments on the Notice of Project Change for the Seaport Square Project. Overall we are very supportive of the public realm improvements proposed in the NPC, specifically:

  1. The expansion of the amount of open space and green space to be constructed on Block F of the Project. We believe the addition of this space will enhance Seaport Common as a community-oriented gathering place, offering more space for both structured and unstructured outdoor activities in the area.
  2. The inclusion of a direct pedestrian connection between the Harbor Way linear park and Fan Pier Green. The Seaport area is in desperate need of more accessible and direct pedestrian connections throughout the neighborhood. This connection will help close one of these gaps.
  3. The proponent’s commitment to replace paint-only bicycle lanes on the Evelyn Moakley Bridge with protected cycling infrastructure. Protected cycling facilities are long overdue and will both promote more cycling in the neighborhood and help calm the often speeding motor vehicles on the bridge.
  4. The significant increase in the volume of residential uses and percentage of on-site affordable housing to be constructed on Blocks L-3 and L-6 of the Project.
  5. The creation of additional Transportation Network Company (TNC) pick- up/drop-off zones along Seaport Boulevard and Northern Avenue.

The neighborhood, and City as a whole, is in desperate need of additional open space and affordable housing. We believe the proponent is making a good faith effort to address these needs in the NPC. Additionally the proposed project changes are aligned with the City’s mode shift, climate and green space goals and we believe will enhance the overall experience of those traveling to and through the neighborhood.

Stacy Thompson
Executive Director, LivableStreets

Wendy Landman
Senior Policy Advisor, WalkBoston

Becca Wolfson
Executive Director, Boston Cyclists Union

Galen Mook
Executive Director, Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition

Transportation Advocates Letter on Congress St / Fort Point Design

Transportation Advocates Letter on Congress St / Fort Point Design

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June 17, 2022
Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Chief of Streets, City of Boston
Arthur Jemison, Chief of Planning, City of Boston
Pat Hoey, Senior Project Manager, Boston Transportation Department

Re: Congress Street, Fort Point Design

Dear Chief Franklin-Hodge, Chief Jemison and Mr. Hoey:

Our collective organizations offer joint comments on the Congress Street Fort Point Design that was recently presented at a public meeting.

Thank you for recommending a design that will create a safer, more attractive street that slows speeds and includes more space for people walking and biking.

Our support for the proposed design, and for a Congress Street that is not used as a corridor to connect buses to North Station, comes from our belief that the South Station-North Station bus connection concept that the City is putting forward will make some of the important improvements that are needed to enhance transit access from the north to the South Boston Seaport where it is so urgently needed.

However, we continue to have questions about the serious transit needs in this booming part of the City, and the planning required to allow the neighborhood’s residents, businesses and workers to thrive in the years ahead. We would like to meet with you again to discuss our comments and provide our thoughts on the South Boston Seaport Transit Plan (within which the Congress Street Fort Point Design sits). Specifically, we would like to touch base on the following elements of the transit plan:

  • Accessible walking between South Station and A Street, including both Melcher Street and the replacement of the Summer Street/A Street stairways. We understand that progress is being made on both of these issues.
  • Bus network redesign and the City’s anticipated comments to the MBTA, including:
    • The need for two-way bus service on A Street
    • Planning for Seaport Boulevard/North Station bus connection
  • Bike network planning, including a review of possible protected bike lanes on the Evelyn Moakley Bridge
  • The status of the Northern Avenue Bridge project
  • Update on the City’s interagency efforts with the MBTA, MassDOT, Massport and the BCEC, and how we can be helpful in supporting this needed collaboration

Additionally, as the design moves forward, we request that a curb management plan be developed that specifically addresses loading and passenger pick-up/drop-off. We believe that this is important both for the safety of people walking and biking and for the economic health of the area businesses. It will also help to build broad support among stakeholders for the redesign.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the plan. We look forward to working with you in the months ahead.

Sincerely,

Tom Ready, FPNA
Stacy Thompson, Executive Director, LivableStreets
Stacey Beuttell, Executive Director, WalkBoston
Wendy Landman, Senior Policy Advisor, WalkBoston
Becca Wolfson, Executive Director, Boston Cyclists Union
Galen Mook, Executive Director, Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition
Jarred Johnson, Executive Director, TransitMatters

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, April 2022

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, April 2022

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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. Earlier this year, we released a year in review for 2021 to highlight common issues.

Last month, we took a look at the seven fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in March. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in April 2022. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 21 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in April in the MassDOT Crash portal, three were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in April was 60.
  • One additional fatal crash was in the news: 5-year-old Candice Asare-Yeboah was struck on April 18th on Stafford Street in Worcester and passed away in the ICU on May 24th; a vigil at the crash site was held on Sunday, May 30th. Since Candice died more than 30 days from the date of the crash, this crash may not be included in the federal FARS dataset.

Update, 6/1: After this monthly post was added, a reader sent us a link to an additional fatal crash that was not listed in the portal. On April 27th, a 78-year-old woman was hit and killed at Elm Street and Whittier Street in Andover. We reached out to MassDOT who followed up with Andover PD about this crash; the fatal crash report has now been submitted to MassDOT and added to the crash database.

Date 4/4/2022, 12:50 AM
Location Kneeland St. + Hudson St.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 33
Sex M

Richard Mullins, age 33, was struck and killed by 36-year-old Abana Cabrera on Kneeland Street in Boston. UniversalHub reported:

Abana Cabrera, 36, of Randolph, was arraigned yesterday in Boston Municipal Court, before Mullins’s death, on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol causing serious bodily injury, OUI alcohol as a second offense, and failure to stop or yield, the DA’s office says, adding she had been earlier convicted of DUI in Nevada in 2016…The defendant allegedly made statements to Boston Police detectives that she had been drinking since 4 p.m. the prior afternoon.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Kneeland Street & Hudson Streets are under local jurisdiction. There are two lanes and a bike lane in each direction on Kneeland. There is no crosswalk across Kneeland Street at Hudson. The intersection of Kneeland and Hudson is one block from the intersection of Kneeland and Albany Street, which has access to I-93 and I-90. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 4/11/2022, 8:27 PM
Location I-291 EAST, EXIT 3
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 75
Sex F

Roselaine Jacquet, age 75, was struck and killed on I-291 East just before Exit 3. Western Mass News reported that a 34-year-old Springfield man was driving eastbound when he struck her in the center travel lane.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a limited access highway, with a median and 3 travel lanes in each direction. The speed limit is 55mph.

This section of I-291 is also signed as Rt 20.

Date 4/12/2022, 8:10 PM
Location 27 North St.
Town Salem
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 72
Sex M

The Salem News reported that a 72-year old Salem male was treated on scene then rushed to Salem Hospital with serious head injuries after he was struck by the driver of a vehicle on North Street (Rt 114) in Salem.

WalkBoston has conducted a number of walk audits in Salem over the last few years. This intersection is located outside the planned route of the September 2019 North Salem Walk Audit, but other intersections along North Street were examined at that time.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. At this intersection with Lynde Street, there are two lanes in each direction to accommodate turning lanes, with a bike lane on one side and a bike lane that transitions to sharrows on the other side. 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 2022 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)

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).