Tag: fatal crashes

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, June 2023

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, June 2023

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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.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in May; six were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in June 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 20 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in June in the MassDOT Crash portal, 3 were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in June was 41.3.
Date 6/13/2023, 4:22 AM
Location I-93 SOUTH, south of EXIT 21
Town Medford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 31
Sex M

WCVB reports a 31-year old man was struck and killed after jumping from an overpass onto 93-South.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, I-93 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a limited access highway, with 4 travel lanes in each direction with a divided median. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 6/15/2023, 4:56 PM
Location 1037 St. James Ave.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 50
Sex M

WWLP reported that a 50 year old man was struck by the driver of a vehicle as the man was crossing the street near a bank. The man was transported to Baystate Medical Center with serious injuries. This crash was categorized as a fatal crash in the MassDOT portal when checked on July 21st.

The nearby intersections of St. James Avenue, Carew Street, and St. James Boulevard is listed for construction through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP); locations are selected based on the HSIP Top 200 Crash Cluster mapping and in coordination with the District and Regional Planning Agency. This project is planned to be funded through the 2023 Transportation Improvement Program for the Pioneer Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization; notice to proceed was given on May 17, 2023.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, St. James Avenue is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. (The travel lanes are wide; the road inventory lists the surface width as 44 feet). There is a sidewalk on each side of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 6/24/2023, 9:01 PM
Location 224 Low St.
Town Newburyport
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 43
Sex F

MassLive reports 43-year old Mercy Kimani was struck and killed by the driver of a GMC Denali SUV near Port Plaza on Low Street in Newburyport.

The Daily News reported that the investigation is ongoing: 

“The circumstances that led to the fatal accident remain unclear with officials still trying to piece together whether the victim was crossing the road, walking alongside the road where there is no sidewalk or if something else happened.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Low Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side of the street. The speed limit is 30mph. (It is listed as 99 on the road inventory, but viewable nearby on street view.)

Google Street View images show that vegetation has encroached on sidewalk access in previous years near the plaza.

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).

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. 

Fatal Pedestrian Crashes In MA (2022) Report News Coverage

Fatal Pedestrian Crashes In MA (2022) Report News Coverage

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We list all media clips on our website, but on this post we consolidated some of the media coverage for the Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022) Report. Please let us know if we missed any others that you’ve seen and we can update this post.

Report Overview

In 2022, there were 439 fatal traffic crashes in Massachusetts. After a dip during the first year of the pandemic in 2020, fatal pedestrian crashes in MA returned in 2021 to a level similar to what we’ve seen every year since 2015; this number was over 30% higher in 2022. At least 101 pedestrians lost their lives, accounting for over 23% of the total.

Our state and local leaders can and must take steps to design our streets to be safer for its citizens. We believe that MassDOT should hasten efforts to release an Action Plan based on the Strategic Highway Safety Plan. It is crucial to identify how the safety plan will be implemented. This includes identifying any resources and additional staff that will be required so that the Legislature can appropriately fund the program. In particular, we believe that the first two initiatives, “Implement Speed Management to Realize Safer Speeds” and “Address Top-Risk Locations and Populations” are of particular importance when looking at 2022’s fatal pedestrian crashes.

This report took a closer look at initial crash information made available by MassDOT through the agency’s Interactive Mapping Portal for Analysis and Crash Tracking (IMPACT) portal.

Findings:

  • Of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 60 had a fatal pedestrian crash in 2022. There were 19 municipalities with multiple fatal crashes, while 10 Gateway Cities had more than one fatal crash.
  • Similar to the concerning trend we found in last year’s report, older adults were hit and killed at a higher rate than those in other age groups: 38.6% of fatal crash victims were over the age of 65, while this segment only represents 17% of the Commonwealth’s total population.1
  • 71% of fatal pedestrian crashes took place in Environmental Justice Census Block Groups. Environmental Justice Population Data is based upon three demographic criteria developed by the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA).
  • More than 60% of the fatal pedestrian crashes occurred in the dark (before sunrise or after sunset). A recent Federal Highway Administration report found that in 2020, 76% of all pedestrian-related fatalities in the United States occurred during periods of darkness.2
  • Ten (9.80%) of the fatal pedestrian crashes were hit and run crashes, in which the driver left the scene of the crash.

Coverage:

Report: MA Fatal Pedestrian Crashes Up 35%; More than 70% Occurred in Environmental Justice Neighborhoods

Report: MA Fatal Pedestrian Crashes Up 35%; More than 70% Occurred in Environmental Justice Neighborhoods

By |

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jovanny Rosado
jrosado@denterlein.com
773-490-8469

Report: MA Fatal Pedestrian Crashes Up 35%; More than 70% Occurred in Environmental Justice Neighborhoods

WalkBoston calls on MassDOT to release an action plan for safe streets, and for the legislature to fund staff and resources to support eliminating fatal crashes

BOSTON (March 30, 2023) – A report released today by WalkBoston, a statewide pedestrian advocacy organization, shows fatal pedestrian crashes in Massachusetts are up by 35% in 2022 compared to 2021, with 71% of crashes taking place in Environmental Justice Census Block Groups. 

Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022) also shows that of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 60 had a fatal pedestrian crash in 2022, and older adults were hit and killed at a higher rate than those in other age groups. 

“The sharp rise in fatal crashes is extremely troubling,” said Brendan Kearney, Deputy Director of WalkBoston. “Unsafe road design is creating fatal consequences for communities across the Commonwealth. Designing our streets to reduce illegal speeding — targeting the most dangerous locations first for fixes — will save lives.”

Of the 101 fatal pedestrian crashes, 72 occurred in Environmental Justice neighborhoods. In 2021, the legislature passed An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for MA Climate Policy, which defines an Environmental Justice (EJ) Population as an area meeting state criteria related to household income, higher minority populations, and higher populations for whom English is a second language. 

“Residents in environmental justice neighborhoods deserve the ability to walk and move through their community without the threat of being hit and killed by someone operating a vehicle,” said Tahara Samuel, Community Planning Manager of Madison Park Development Corporation. “The findings in the report that more people have died in fatal crashes this year than last should be a wake up call for state and municipal leaders that the status quo is not working. We agree with WalkBoston that the Commonwealth needs to prioritize protecting people and designing our streets to ensure safe streets for all. The City of Boston can start with the upcoming Roxbury Corridors project, a chance to hear from community members on how to make investments to fix Warren Street, Malcolm X Boulevard, and Melnea Cass Boulevard.”

Similar to the concerning trend found in last year’s version of this report, older adults were hit and killed at a higher rate than those in other age groups: 38% of fatal crash victims were over the age of 65. In Massachusetts, only 17% of the population is over 65, yet people 50 and over made up over 65% of pedestrian crash deaths in 2022.

“Nearly everyone is a pedestrian at some point in the day. Safer streets mean more people remain in their current homes or community as they age, said Mike Festa, State Director of AARP Massachusetts. “An age friendly community means complete, smartly planned streets, and transportation options are great for people of all ages; A street that’s safe for a 70-year-old to cross to shop is safe for a 7-year-old walking to school. What this new report shows us is that we can and must do better to make roads safer for all residents of the Commonwealth.” 

WalkBoston calls upon MassDOT, the legislature, and local municipalities to take immediate actions to create safer streets:

  • MassDOT recently released a Strategic Highway Safety Plan featuring sections on implementing speed management and addressing top-risk locations and populations. MassDOT must hasten efforts to release an Action Plan based on the Strategic Highway Safety Plan. 
  • It is crucial to identify how these recommendations will be implemented and funded by the legislature. 
  • Every municipality that has experienced a fatal crash should take steps to become an Age-Friendly Community. According to data from AARP, the population of the United States is rapidly aging, and by 2030, one of every five people in the U.S. will be 65 or older.

60 Massachusetts cities and towns had at least one fatal pedestrian crash in 2022. Of those, 19 municipalities had multiple fatal crashes: Boston (12), Worcester (7), Chicopee (5), Brockton, Framingham, Lowell, Springfield (3/each); Cambridge, Dedham, Easthampton, Gardner, Haverhill, Holyoke, New Bedford, Quincy, Salem, Sharon, West Springfield, Yarmouth (2/each). 

Additionally, 60% of Massachusetts’ fatal pedestrian crashes occurred in the dark (before sunrise or after sunset). And 10 (9.8%) were hit and run crashes in which the driver left the scene of the crash.

The report reviews fatal pedestrian crash data released on the MassDOT IMPACT Crash Portal and Fatal Crash Information Dashboard. The locations were cross-referenced in the MassDOT Road Inventory Tool to determine the road jurisdiction and speed limit. Google Street View was used to find additional local context.

 

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View the full report

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, October 2022

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, October 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 crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in September; ten were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in October 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 40 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in October in the MassDOT Crash portal, 12 were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in October was 50.75.
  • There were at least five arrests made in connection to October’s fatal pedestrian crashes. In at least two of the crashes, drivers left the scene and were later arrested; a driver was arrested for operating under the influence, resisting arrest, and assaulting an officer; a driver was arrested for unlicensed operation; and a dirt bike rider was arrested for several motor vehicle offenses.
Date 10/1/2022, 2:29 AM
Location I-93 SOUTH, MM 12.4
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 34
Sex M

MassLive reports that 34-year old Christian Yemga was struck and killed after he was struck on I-93 after his own car struck a guardrail and became disabled, prompting him to exit the vehicle. The driver of the car that struck him stopped, and another driver then crashed into that vehicle. The two people in the stopped car were taken to a hospital in Boston to be treated for serious injuries; the driver of the vehicle that hit the stopped car was charged with operating under the influence, resisting arrest, and assaulting an officer.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, I-93 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a limited access highway, with 4 travel lanes in each direction with a divided median. The speed limit is 55mph. This section also includes a short shoulder/pull off.

Date 10/3/2022, 8:27 AM
Location 22 Coleman St.
Town Gardner
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 69
Sex F

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that 69-year old Paula MacKenzie, a Gardner resident, was struck and killed by the driver of a Department of Public Works truck around 8:30am on a Monday morning. 

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Coleman Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two way street, with one lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. The speed limit is not indicated in the database. 

Date 10/4/2022, 8:57 PM
Location 35 Spring St.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 57
Sex M

WCVB reported that a person was struck and seriously injured after they were struck by a vehicle on Spring Street in West Roxbury, and that rain was falling at the time of the incident. We could not find any additional news coverage of this incident; the 57-year old person passed away from the crash.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with two lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. A bus stop shelter is on one side of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 10/6/2022, 8:19 PM
Location SR-28 SOUTH (158 Main St.)
Town North Reading
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 55
Sex F

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 MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with two lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. The speed limit is 40mph.

A little over a mile away on Route 28 in Reading, Streetsblog MASS reported that MassDOT implemented a pilot road diet on Route 28 to make the street safer; last year, it was converted from pilot to permanent. The road diet removed one vehicle lane from two state-run segments of Route 28 to convert the roadway from a four-lane roadway to a three-lane street with shoulders and a center-running left-turn lane.

Also in the news in North Reading in October, WCVB reported that a driver was arrested after striking and injuring a 4-year old who was being pulled in a wagon by a parent: 

Near the crash site, the girl’s family has posted a picture of her lying in a hospital bed with injuries to her forehead and wearing a neck brace. A message posted next to the picture reads, in part, “The driver left my daughter on the side of the road bleeding and helpless after speeding away.” The stretch of Lakeshore Boulevard has no sidewalks, has several twists and turns and small hills. Neighbors said for years they’ve been asking for speed bumps or some other way to keep walkers safe. “If you’re not safe on a sunny, bright, dry day walking your child in a wagon, when are you safe?” Garvey said.

Date 10/8/2022, 5:14 AM
Location I-495 NORTH, MM 36
Town Plainville
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 41
Sex M

The Boston Globe reports that a 41-year old man was struck and killed by the driver of a Volvo SUV on I-495 in Plainville. A car registered to the victim was found unoccupied in the breakdown lane a short distance away.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, I-495 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a limited access highway, with three travel lanes in each direction with a divided median. The speed limit is 65mph.

Date 10/8/2022, 8:23 PM
Location 482 Springfield St.
Town Chicopee
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 34
Sex M

WWLP reports that 34-year old Nickolas Weichel was walking to his car when he was hit by 22-year old Nazier Grandison who was speeding at 70mph on the wrong side of the road. He was arrested and charged with motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of a personal injury crash. 

Western Mass News interviewed Nikolas’ friends and family:

[Former co-worker Carl] Scheinost told Western Mass News that Weichel was a man who absolutely loved life, made everyone laugh, and didn’t know a stranger. “Nick was the kind of guy who worked to live. His life after work was the most important thing to him,” he added. Most of all, Scheinost said that his friend did not deserve to die so young, as he had so many years ahead of him to bring joy to those who knew him. However, he said that he will continue to remember the biggest lesson he learned from Nick. “What are we working for? You’re working for a better life. Live your life. It can be over quick, as we all learned the hard way,” Scheinost said.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Springfield Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with one travel lane in each direction. There is parking on each side of the street, and a sidewalk on both sides. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 25mph and 35mph in the database; the WWLP article above says the DA’s office said the speed limit is 30 mph.

Date 10/13/2022, 6:33 PM
Location 248 Great Rd.
Town Acton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 44
Sex M

44-year old Kevin Shaw was struck and killed on Great Road (Rt 2A/119) in Acton by the 17-year old driver of a Subaru wagon near the Gould’s Plaza, which includes a Donelan’s Supermarket. 

From the Metrowest Daily News: 

Since the pedestrian crash, the Acton Select Board has voted to put crosswalk lighting in the area where the crash occurred. It still needs approval by the state. 

Last week, a 13-year-old boy was struck by a hit-and-run driver, also on Great Road. The boy, who was in a crosswalk, was flown to a Boston hospital with serious injuries. Police said Monday they have seized a vehicle they believe was involved in that incident.

Friends have created a “Safe Streets for Kevin” form so people can email the Acton Town Manager, John S. Mangiaratti, and Barry Lorion, who is the State District 3 Highway Director which includes jurisdiction over Great Road in Acton, MA. “It’s the wish of his friends and family that action be taken immediately to improve the road crossing where he was hit. This was a known dangerous crossing. Steps have been taken by the town and state to make improvements, but we want to guarantee that quick action will be taken to prevent something like this from happening again.” You can send an email here.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with one lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of Great Road, opposite the shopping plaza. There is a crosswalk at the intersection of Brooks Street and Great Road. The speed limit is 40mph.

Date 10/20/2022, 7:01 PM
Location 2 High St.
Town Monson
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 56
Sex F

Western Mass News reports that a 56-year old woman was struck and killed by a motorcyclist on High Street. From the article:

Monson Police said that they were alerted around 7 p.m. Thursday that Ware and Palmer Police tried to stop a motorcycle, that was described as a dirt bike, in their towns and that it was seen heading toward the area of State Avenue and Upper Palmer Road in Monson. Both Ware and Palmer Police reportedly ended their attempts to stop the motorcycle before it got to Monson. A Monson police officer found the motorcycle traveling south on Margaret Street, near Quarry Hill School, and another officer saw it pass him heading south on High Street as the officer headed north. “While both officers were attempting to locate the motorcycle, they discovered it had struck a pedestrian in the vicinity of the Monson Free Library on High Street and crashed,” police explained…The operator of the motorcycle was arrested and charged with several motor vehicle offenses.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with one lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. This location is in front of the Monson Free Library, and there is a crosswalk and stop sign. The speed limit is 30mph. 

Date 10/22/2022, 9:41 PM
Location I-93 SOUTH, EXIT 15A
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 49
Sex M

49-year old Mark McAuliffe was struck and killed by the driver of a Toyota Highlander on I-93 near South Bay in Boston.  

Preliminary investigation from Mass State Police reveals that the victim was attempting to cross Route 93 in the area of exit 15 from west to east. The pedestrian crossed the southbound lanes and the median and then entered the northbound side, where he was immediately struck by a 2019 Toyota Highlander sport utility vehicle in the left lane.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, I-93 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a limited access highway, with 4 travel lanes in each direction with a divided median. The speed limit is 55mph. This section includes an additional service road / on ramp.

Date 10/23/2022, 9:35 PM
Location 330 Middlesex Ave.
Town Medford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 77
Sex M

77-year old Walter Wishoski from Malden was struck and killed by the driver of a Ford Fiesta on Middlesex Ave near Wendy’s and Townline Plaza. The plaza is near the Medford/Malden town line, where Middlesex Ave in Medford becomes Highland Ave in Malden. NBC Boston reports that the driver, Everton Candido, was arrested and expected to be charged for unlicensed operation.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with two lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. A bus stop is on each side of the street. There is not a crosswalk to access the plaza. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 25mph and 30mph in the database.

Date 10/29/2022, 6:16 PM
Location 417 Springfield St.
Town Chicopee
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 73
Sex F

A 73-year old woman was struck and killed on Springfield St in Chicopee. We could not find any additional news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

This is 1/10 of a mile – just a 2 minute walk – from a fatal crash on Springfield Street earlier in the month. In the distance of this Google Street View, a person is crossing the street at a crosswalk that has highway crash barriers along the street. 

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Springfield Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with one travel lane in each direction. There is parking on each side of the street, and a sidewalk on both sides. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 25mph and 35mph in the database.

Date 10/29/2022, 10:08 PM
Location SR-9 EAST + South St.
Town Shrewsbury
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 20
Sex F

Community Advocate reports that 20-year old Ghufran Mutar was crossing Route 9 at the intersection with South Street on her way home from working at CVS just after 10 p.m. on Oct. 30 when she was struck and killed. Jerry Santiago Jr, the driver of a Dodge Journey SUV, left the scene. He was arrested days later and charged with leaving the scene of personal injury resulting in death and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Route 9 is under MassDOT jurisdiction, and South Street is under local jurisdiction. Route 9 is a two-way divided roadway, with two lanes in each direction and additional left turn lanes at the intersection. There are no sidewalks on either street, and no crosswalks for any leg of the intersection. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 35mph and 99mph in the database.

There is a grocery store plaza on one side of Route 9 and the CVS that Ghufran worked at is on the other side of Route 9.

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).