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 crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in July; twelve were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in September 2022. 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 36 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in September in the MassDOT Crash portal, ten were identified as people walking.
• The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in September was 68.8.
• Three people in their 90s (91, 98, 99) were hit & killed in September.
• 29 year old Matthew Barker was struck and killed in a parking lot in Cambridge on September 1st at 1:22pm by a man in his 20s operating a box truck registered to a local restaurant. This crash is not included in the federal FARS dataset since it does not meet the NHTSA guideline for FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System). “To be included in FARS, a crash must involve a motor vehicle traveling on a traffic way customarily open to the public, and must result in the death of a vehicle occupant or a nonoccupant within 30 days of the crash.”

WCVB reports that 39-year old Thomas Ruffen died after Maximo Manzanett ran him over with a Ford Explorer SUV near the Jackson Square MBTA station. Police have charged the driver with murder. From the WCVB story:

Witnesses, including an Orange Line shuttle bus driver, told police Ruffen was on the ground outside the MBTA stop when Mazanett drove up in a brown Ford Explorer SUV. The shuttle bus driver said she got out of her bus and yelled to Mazanett to stop because someone was in the street.

“The driver said, ‘(Expletive) you, I work for the city.’ The driver then drove over the person, dragging the person under the SUV across Columbus Avenue,” according to a Boston police report.

Another witness said she also heard Mazanett yell an expletive before driving over the man.

MACDC shared a post in Thomas Ruffen’s memory, noting his work as an incredibly gifted organizer and community leader in the Mildred C. Hailey community.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this intersection is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction on Ritchie Street leading into the signalized intersection with Columbus Ave and Centre Street. The speed limit is unclear, with one side of Columbus listed as 35mph and the other side listed as 30mph in the database.

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, this road is under local jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction and a painted median divider. There is a sidewalk on each side of the street. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 35mph and 30mph in the database. There is also a School Speed Limit 20mph sign for certain hours.

The Boston Globe reports that a 32-year old man was seriously injured after being struck by the driver of a vehicle in Swansea. We could not find any additional news coverage of this incident; the person passed away from the crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction and a painted median divider before the roadway adds another travel lane. There is a sidewalk on each side of the roadway. There are also on/off-ramps for RT-195 at this location with a crosswalk for people continuing along RT-6 / Grand Army of the Republic Highway. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 50mph and 40mph in the database.

WHDH reports that a 91-year old man was struck and killed by the 62-year old driver of a 2007 BMW SUV. The man had been in the crosswalk attempting to walk across Morton Street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Morton Street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction with one additional turn lane at the intersection. There is a crosswalk at each leg of the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph.

The Bedford Citizen reports that 99-year-old Josephine (Iovino) Caporizzo was struck and killed by the driver of a motor vehicle while walking near her home.

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

MassLive reports that a 48-year old man was struck and killed by the driver of a dump truck in Chicopee on Friday afternoon, September 16th.

Streetsblog MASS reported in late September that the “Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities” was sent from the Governor back to the legislature with recommendations for changes before it would be signed. This bill as written includes additional regulations for some trucks to include convex and crossover mirrors, backup cameras, and lateral protective devices. 

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a shoulder on each side. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

The Gloucester Times reported that Virginia “Ginny” Hale, age 98 1/2, was struck and killed by the driver of a box truck as she was crossing the street by Cumberland Farms on Railroad Avenue in Rockport. From the article:

Virginia “Ginny” Hale, 98 1/2 — she insisted on the half, said her daughter-in-law — was a daily walker, going out in the mornings and late afternoon and covering miles.

“She would greet people along way and visit the local shops,” said Betsy Hale, her daughter-in-law, adding she never meet a stranger. “She was a positive, loving fashionista. She always dressed up, did her makeup and did her hair to go out.”

A life resident of Rockport, Ginny and her sister, daughters of Swedish immigrants, were brought up by family after her mother died. Her daughter-in-law said her love of beautiful clothes probably started with the outfits her aunts saw that the girls wore. Photos from the 1930s show Ginny wearing suits and gloves when she hopped the train to Boston — she never drove — where she was an office worker.

“She always dressed to the nines,” Betsy Hale said. Many mentioned “Ginny sightings,” describing her outfits, and Betsy Hale said she thrived on the compliments. and she devoured fashion magazines.

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

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, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of each street at the four way stop intersection. There are no painted crosswalks. The speed limit is 20mph.

Wavelengths/97.9WHAV reports that a 79-year old woman was struck and killed by the driver of a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta on Winter Street near the intersection of Locust Street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of the street. There are crosswalks present at each corner. The speed limit is 30mph.

The Boston Globe reports that 56-year old Dawn Squires was struck and killed on Route 28 in West Yarmouth by a driver of a truck from New York.

In 2016, Callie Crossley penned a commentary for WGBH titled, “Brought to Light: The Case for Street Lights on Cape Cod. It’s Life and Death“:

I know there are residents who are reluctant to mar the horizon with a string of street lights. Easier to see the moonlight on Cape Cod Bay that Patti Page croons about so sweetly. But, if my unobscured view must be sacrificed to save someone’s life, then so be it.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on each side of the street. (However, the most recent Google Street View image is from 2019, and shows a rolled curb sidewalk on one side of the street; the crash photo from CapeCod.com also does not show a sidewalk on one side of the street.) The speed limit is 35mph.

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).