Tag: crash data

WalkMassachusetts presents at BARI Conference 2023

WalkMassachusetts presents at BARI Conference 2023

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Last Friday, WalkMassachusetts’ Deputy Director of Advocacy Brendan Kearney presented at the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) Conference 2023: Greater Boston’s Annual Insight-to-Impact Summit. The BARI Conference aims to be a unique forum for community leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to share how they advance data-driven research and policy in Greater Boston—and how we could do even more through collective action. The conference took place at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, an inspiring space to listen to impactful talks, network with others, and imagine innovative ways to collect and utilize data.

 
Pictured right to left: Ava Dimond, Iolando Spinola, Althea Wong-Achorn, Brendan Kearney.

Brendan was one of four speakers on the topic of “Redesigning Transportation.” Brendan and Bonnie Polin of MassDOT co-authored the talk, entitled “MassDOT’s Impact Crash Portal (And How WalkMassachusetts And Other Advocates Use It).” MassDOT created the  IMPACT (Interactive Mapping Portal for Analysis & Crash Tracking) portal to make crash data that is reported by police departments more readily available to the public. IMPACT allows you to look at data through pre-built reports or conduct your own self-driven analysis; dashboards allow for interactive analysis & data exploration. The talks were moderated by Liz Williams, Ph.D., Director of Data and Policy at MassDOT‘s Office of Transportation Planning, while Jarred Johnson, Executive Director at TransitMatters, acted as provocateur asking follow up questions of the speakers before opening it up to the audience. 

WalkMassachusetts has used IMPACT to help communities identify high risk locations & encourage residents to push for safety changes. Using IMPACT, we published a report last March examining spatial and demographic patterns in fatal pedestrian crashes statewide. 

We would like to thank Bonnie and her team at MassDOT for making this data accessible to the public and for seeking feedback to continually improve the portal. Thank you to Liz and Jarred for a thought-provoking discussion following the talks, and to BARI for inviting WalkMassachusetts to discuss our experience with IMPACT. 

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, May 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, May 2021

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Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. Last month, we took a look at the 6 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in April. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in May 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 31 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in May in the MassDOT Crash portal, 8 were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 4 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in May was 50.75.
  • At least 1 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 5/13/2021, 1:47 PM
Location 21 Collins St.
Town Salisbury
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 53
Sex M

53 year old Kevin Perkins was struck and killed by a driver on Collins Street (Rt 286) in Salisbury. The Daily News of Newburyport reported that Kevin worked for a landscape company and was struck by his co-worker driving a dump truck while trying to park a trailer. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. The speed limit is 30 mph, and there are no sidewalks.

Date 5/17/2021, 10:06 AM
Location 110 Broadway
Town Methuen
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 60
Sex F

60 year old Aida Brito was struck and killed by a driver as she crossed Broadway (Route 28) in Methuen. Police spokesperson Lt. Randy Haggar told the Eagle Tribune that there was no crosswalk where Brito was walking and that speed did not appear to have been a factor.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction and the speed limit is 20mph. Streetview on Google Maps shows that it is approximately 1,376 feet (over a quarter of a mile) between the crosswalks at Oakland Ave/Broadway and Center St/Broadway.

Date 5/18/2021, 10:20 AM
Location 2 Boland St.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 33
Sex M

An unidentified 33 year old man was hit and killed in Springfield on Boland Way. The driver fled the scene. Western Mass News reports that the person driving was found and that the person killed was a worker on a nearby construction site.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction and the speed limit is 25mph. There are two travel lanes in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of the street.

Date 5/18/2021, 10:20 PM
Location SR-1 NORTH + Broadway
Town Saugus
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 38
Sex F

An unidentified 38 year old woman was hit and killed on Rt 1 North in Saugus near the intersection of Route 99; NBC 10 Boston reports that the 45 year old driver of an SUV remained at the scene, and that the two right lanes were closed for about two hours while the scene was cleared and the investigation began.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is a divided highway and under MassDOT jurisdiction. The speed limit is 50mph. There is a sidewalk along the side of the road.

Date 5/19/2021, 6:52 AM
Location Main St. + Bacon St.
Town Waltham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 63
Sex M

Billy Clark, a 63 year old Watertown man, was hit and killed while in a crosswalk by the driver of a tractor trailer who was turning left off Main Street onto Bacon Street in Waltham. WCVB reported that Billy was well known and liked by residents.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, both Main and Bacon are under local jurisdiction. Main Street has a speed limit of 35mph and Bacon has a speed limit of 30mph.

Date 5/22/2021, 1:34 AM
Location Newport Ave. + Willow Ave.
Town Quincy
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 62
Sex M

62 year old Robert Jansen was hit and killed on Newport Avenue by a 21 year old driver of a Jeep. The Boston Globe reports that “an initial observation of the crash determined that there was approximately 278 feet of visible skid marks leading up to the motor vehicle and victim.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Newport Avenue is under local jurisdiction. The speed limit is 35mph. There are two travel lanes in each direction, a sidewalk on one side of the street, and a crosswalk at the intersection which leads to a pedestrian tunnel so that people can walk underneath the MBTA tracks.

Date 5/22/2021, 2:35 PM
Location 297 Central Turnpike
Town Sutton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 28
Sex F

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that 28 year old Kaylie Piekarczyk was riding her motorcycle in Sutton when she lost control, and was then hit by the driver of an oncoming SUV.

It is likely that FARS determined that this is categorized as a pedestrian crash since the person was no longer on their motorcycle when struck. [Update, 3/23/2022: this was re-categorized as a motorcycle crash.]

Date 5/29/2021, 12:00 AM
Location Bradford St. Bangs St.
Town Provincetown
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 69
Sex M

An unidentified 69 year old man was hit and killed at the corner of Bradford and Bangs Street in Provincetown according to CapeCod.com.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, both streets are under local jurisdiction, and have speed limits of 20-25mph. Bradford Street is 20 feet wide, with one lane in each direction; Bangs Street is 14 feet wide and operates as a two way yield street. While there are no sidewalks, there is a crosswalk at Bangs Street.

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 . 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:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

DISCLAIMER:  The compilation of data is based on preliminary data we receive from a variety of local sources.  Some of the data may differ slightly from information provided by NHTSA as this dashboard does not use imputation methods.  Information is subject to change when/if updated information becomes available. Data updated daily as reported by police departments.

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, April 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, April 2021

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Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. Last month, we took a look at the 7 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in March. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in April 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 38 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in April in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 4 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in April was 45. (One person’s age is listed as “unknown.”)
  • At least 4 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the crashes in news articles that we found.

Update 11/15/2022:

On April 26th, Denise Stracqualursi, an employee of Roche Bros – Acton, was killed in the parking lot when she was bringing groceries out to an awaiting customer. Read the story in MassLive: Denise Stracqualursi, 56-year-old woman struck by car in Acton grocery store parking lot, has died, authorities said – masslive.com

Date 4/12/2021, 8:40 PM
Location McGrath Highway + Blakeley Ave.
Town Somerville
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 72
Sex M

72-year-old Marshall Mac was hit on McGrath Highway at Blakeley Avenue at 8:40PM while on his way home from the grocery store by a driver who fled the scene in East Somerville. Marshall died on April 29th from his injuries. The driver, age 64, later turned himself in and faces charges of leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, McGrath Highway is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is no crosswalk at Blakeley Avenue (you can see a person standing on the island. It is a desire line to connect Foss Park and the neighborhoods to the north to the closest grocery store, Stop and Shop. It also would allow residents to avoid walking near the dangerous Rt 28/38 interchange with 93. 200 people rallied on May 26th to pressure MassDOT to accelerate fixes to the surrounding area, including sound barriers and pedestrian safety improvements that have been long called for through multiple Road Safety Audits.

The Somerville Alliance for Safe Streets encourages you to sign a petition to MassDOT, as three of their neighbors have died on McGrath Highway and Mystic Avenue in the last two years, and attend an upcoming virtual public hearing on June 8th at 6pm to press for changes as part of a recently announced I-93 rehab project (Zoom link).

Date 4/13/2021, 4:30 AM
Location I-93 SOUTH, EXIT 6
Town Braintree
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 42
Sex M

Thomas Gill, age 42, was hit and killed on Route 93 in Braintree; NBC Boston reported that the driver or drivers that struck him did not stop. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, I-93 is under MassDOT jurisdiction.

Date 4/13/2021, 11:18 AM
Location Cabot St. + Merrimack St.
Town Lowell
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 63
Sex M

A 63-year-old man was hit and killed by a driver on Merrimack Street at Cabot Street in Lowell. The Lowell Sun reported that the person was flown to a Boston-area trauma center with serious injuries. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this intersection is under local jurisdiction. The speed limit is 30 mph.

Date 4/15/2021, 9:08 PM
Location I-190 NORTH, MM 10.6
Town Sterling
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 29
Sex M

A 29-year old man crossed the median into a northbound lane while driving, exited his car to inspect a flat tire in the breakdown lane, and was hit and killed by two drivers on I-190 in Sterling. WWLP reported that the first driver fled the scene, while the second person, a 37-year old, stopped after the crash; State Police were still seeking the driver that left the scene.

Date 4/22/2021, 11:09 PM
Location 453 Centre St.
Town Brockton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age
Sex UNK

The Enterprise reported that a 39-year-old Charlestown woman was hit and seriously injured by a driver in an SUV on Centre Street in Brockton. The 44-year-old driver stayed at the scene. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Centre Street (Rt 123) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is one lane in each direction, with a 35 mph speed limit. There is a plaza on one side of the street and a school on the other.

Date 4/24/2021, 2:53 AM
Location SR-140 NORTH, EXIT 7 – Braley Rd. ramp
Town New Bedford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 19
Sex M

In New Bedford, South Coast Today reported that a 19 year old person was ejected from a vehicle in a crash on the ramp for Rt 140; the person was then hit by another driver who fled the scene. FARS determined that this is categorized as a pedestrian crash since the person was outside of a vehicle when struck.

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 . 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:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

DISCLAIMER:  The compilation of data is based on preliminary data we receive from a variety of local sources.  Some of the data may differ slightly from information provided by NHTSA as this dashboard does not use imputation methods.  Information is subject to change when/if updated information becomes available. Data updated daily as reported by police departments.

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, March 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, March 2021

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Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. Last month, we took a look at the 4 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in February. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in March 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 23 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in March in the MassDOT Crash portal, 7 were people walking. We’ve identified 1 additional fatal incident during March covered in the news media:
    • 1 person lost their life in Malden when a mechanic with a suspended license crashed an SUV through the door of an auto body shop and struck her as she was walking on the sidewalk. View a segment from WCVB about 86-year-old Athena Hartwell, who walked this section of sidewalk almost every day with her walker: “Neighborhood mourns woman killed in SUV crash.“
    • Updated 4/29/2021: We listed a crash that occurred in Sterling as not being in the portal for March, but this crash occurred in April and is listed. We apologize for the error. We’ve updated this post accordingly.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 7 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet; unlike previous months in 2021, news articles were more difficult to find for many of these crashes.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in March was 59.6.
  • 3 of the crashes all have 12:00AM listed as the time; it is possible data was incomplete when initially submitted.
  • At least 4 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 3/3/2021, 12:00 AM
Location 800 Morrissey Blvd.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 56
Sex M

A 56-year old man was hit and killed on Morrissey Boulevard in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Morrissey Boulevard is under MassDCR jurisdiction. We have not been able to find additional information about this crash.

Date 3/7/2021, 12:00 AM
Location 232 Stafford Rd.
Town Monson
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 94
Sex F

A 94-year old woman was hit and killed on Stafford Road. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Stafford Rd/Rt 32 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are no sidewalks on this road. We have not been able to find additional information about this crash.

Date 3/7/2021, 12:40 AM
Location Auburn St. + Summer St.
Town Bridgewater
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 34
Sex M

Ian Dalgliesh, a 34-year old man, was found unconscious in the roadway at the intersection of Auburn and Summer streets in Bridgewater around 12:40 a.m. on Sunday, March 7. WCVB reported three weeks after that crash that police were still seeking help to find the driver who left the scene. The article noted that the intersection is located in a residential neighborhood, with stop signs located at all four corners.

Google Streetview shows a sidewalk on one side of the street for one leg of the intersection. It also shows a house on the corner with guardrails at the intersection, possibly indicating that drivers have driven recklessly in this area before.

Date 3/10/2021, 7:00 PM
Location Meadow St. + Chicopee St.
Town Chicopee
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 53
Sex M

A Chicopee man was hit & seriously injured in a hit & run crash on March 10th near Rivers Park. He died later in the month from his injuries. The Chicopee Police released photos of a dark colored SUV on March 25th as part of the investigation to track down the driver. While there is a signalized crosswalk near the Meadow/Chicopee PVTA bus stop at one corner of Rivers Park, there are no crosswalks at the intersection of Meadow & Chicopee Streets.

According to Streetview, a crosswalk across Chicopee Street nearby that did not have curb ramps was removed between 2016 & 2017 during street & sidewalk reconstruction at the corner of Chicopee, Margaret & Whitman Streets.

Date 3/12/2021, 9:40 PM
Location 189 Chestnut Hill Ave.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 77
Sex M

A 77 year old man was hit and killed on Chestnut Hill Ave in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood. We have not been able to find additional information about this crash.

Date 3/17/2021, 12:00 AM
Location 511 Broadway
Town Everett
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 67
Sex M

A 67-year-old man was hit and killed on Broadway in Everett. We have not been able to find additional information about this crash.

Date 3/25/2021, 8:10 PM
Location Parker St. + Ellery St.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 40
Sex M

A 40-year old man was hit and killed on March 25th at Parker Street & Ellery Street in Springfield. Ellery Street is a private way. Parker Street has 2 travel lanes in each direction, and is at least 48 feet wide curb to curb. While WWLP reported breaking news on March 25th that a crash may have involved a motorcycle at this location, we have not been able to find additional information about this crash. [Update, 3/23/2022: this was re-categorized as a motorcycle crash.]

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 . 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:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

DISCLAIMER:  The compilation of data is based on preliminary data we receive from a variety of local sources.  Some of the data may differ slightly from information provided by NHTSA as this dashboard does not use imputation methods.  Information is subject to change when/if updated information becomes available. Data updated daily as reported by police departments.

*Updated 4/29/2021: We listed a crash that occurred in Sterling as not being in the database for March, but this crash occurred in April and is listed. We apologize for the error. We’ve updated the post accordingly.

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, February 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, February 2021

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Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. Last month, we took a look at the 5 fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in January. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in February 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 19 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in February in the MassDOT Crash portal, 4 were people walking.
  • 3 of those 4 crashes were on limited access highways. In 2 of those crashes, tractor trailer drivers struck and killed a driver who exited a vehicle after it had broken down.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 2 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the 4 crashes in news articles.
  • 2 people lost their lives at a construction site in Boston in February when a co-worker hit them with a vehicle, pushing them into an open trench. That incident is not listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal. The Boston Globe wrote at least two follow up stories about 33-year-old Jose Carlos Figueroa-Gutierrez and 27-year-old Jordan Romero: “One day later, makeshift memorial for two construction workers only sign of tragedy in Boston,” “A sister mourns for brother killed at downtown Boston construction site.”
Date 2/2/2021, 11:30 PM
Location I-90 EAST, MM 87.0
Town Oxford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 33
Sex M

A 33 year old Hartford man was struck and killed on on I-90 (the MassPike) by the driver of a tractor trailer. WHDH reported that he was hit after his Toyota Camry broke down and he got out of the car to examine the problem.

Date 2/8/2021, 5:55 PM
Location 418 Winthrop Ave.
Town Lawrence
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 70
Sex F

A 70 year old woman was hit and killed on Winthrop Ave (Rt 114) on the North Andover / Lawrence line. The Boston Globe reported that the scene of the crash on Route 114 was near the North Andover Mall. Rt 114 is 4 lanes (2 travel lanes each direction) in front of the North Andover Mall and 3 lanes after the driveway intersection. There is only a sidewalk on one side of the street. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Winthrop Ave/Rt 114 is under MassDOT jurisdiction.

According to Google Streetview, the sidewalk is relatively new and under construction as of November 2019. There is only a sidewalk on one side of the street, but it did not exist prior to November 2019. New curb ramps are in place but only go across the driveway entrance, not Rt 114. The nearest crosswalks across Rt 114 are 0.9 miles away from each other, with the shopping center roughly in between. A housing development is also on the other side of the street from the shopping center.

Date 2/13/2021, 5:55 AM
Location I-90 EAST, MM 116.2
Town Framingham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 57
Sex M

Mustapha Faddi, a 57 year old Marlborough man, was struck and killed on I-90 (the MassPike) by the driver of a tractor trailer. Mustapha’s Nissan Murano broke down and he got out of the car to examine the problem. The Patch shared that this was the second fatal crash on the MassPike in February involving a disable vehicle & tractor trailer.

Date 2/27/2021, 11:40 PM
Location I-93 NORTH, south of EXIT 33
Town Medford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 22
Sex F

Madeleine Fox, a 22 year old woman, was hit and killed after she got out of her friend’s car on I-93. NBC Boston reports that investigators are working to identify a description of the vehicle or vehicles that might have hit her.

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 . 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:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

DISCLAIMER:  The compilation of data is based on preliminary data we receive from a variety of local sources.  Some of the data may differ slightly from information provided by NHTSA as this dashboard does not use imputation methods.  Information is subject to change when/if updated information becomes available. Data updated daily as reported by police departments.