Gardner Archives - WalkMassachusetts

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, October 2023

Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in September; four were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in October 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 31 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in October in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking.
5 of the 6 pedestrian crashes had the ‘speed limit’ field blank in the Road Inventory Viewer.
The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in October was 63.3

Date	10/8/2023, 7:50 PM
Location	Summit St. + Christina Dr.
Town	Peabody
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	61
Sex	M

MassLive reports 61-year old Robert King was crossing the road on Summit Street near Christina Drive when they were hit by a car around 7:40 p.m. on Oct. 7. King died at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Summit St is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street. There is a crosswalk at Christina Drive in Google Street View from 2020. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database, and there are no nearby speed limit signs on Google Street View.

Date	10/12/2023, 7:52 AM
Location	777 West St.
Town	Pittsfield
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	49
Sex	M

The Berkshire Eagle reports 49-year old Shane Cassavant was struck by a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado truck driven by 87-year-old Edward Ladouceur. The Pittsfield Police said Ladouceur did not go around the construction zone, and instead drove into it, striking Cassavant with his truck as Cassavant worked in the road.

From the Berkshire Eagle article:

West Street has been the focus of community conversations around making roadways safer for pedestrians after a local mother, Shaloon Milord, was killed after she was struck in a crosswalk on West Street in January while walking her young child to the bus stop.
The city has proposed a series of road changes designed to slow traffic over a mile stretch of the road, including the area where Milord was fatally injured, near Dorothy Amos Park. But that project would end at Valentine Road approximately a half a mile to the east from the apparent site of Thursday’s crash.

The fatal pedestrian crash on West Street in Pittsfield in January also involved a driver in their 80s.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, West Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There are no sidewalks. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; however, an image in the Berkshire Eagle article shows a 40mph speed limit sign.

Date	10/19/2023, 12:56 PM
Location	Main St. + Mountain Ave.
Town	Malden
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	63
Sex	F

WCVB reports 63-year old Mary McTaggart, pushing groceries on the sidewalk, was struck and killed after a multi-car crash in Malden. Investigators say the driver of a BMW SUV slammed into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement SUV that was stopped at this light before the BMW careened off the road, hitting several poles and striking the woman on the sidewalk.

Boston 25 News spoke to someone who had recently seen the victim:

Madina Adolph fought back tears after finishing her first day volunteering in the food pantry of a nearby YMCA. She tells Boston 25 she had just served the woman.
“I cannot believe I just help her get food it just a sad thing you know life is too short,” said Adolph.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Main Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of the street. The intersection of Main Street and Mountain Avenue has a traffic signal. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database.

Date	10/26/2023, 7:35 PM
Location	19 City Hall Ave.
Town	Gardner
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	59
Sex	M

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, City Hall Avenue is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on both sides. There is diagonal parking on one side and parallel parking on the other side of the street. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database.

Date	10/27/2023, 6:01 PM
Location	265 Pleasant St.
Town	Marblehead
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	80
Sex	M

The Marblehead Current reports 80-year old Karl Johnson was struck and killed while crossing Pleasant between Smith Street and Mohawk Road.

From the Current article:

Resident Dan Albert, a local safe streets advocate who has researched Pleasant Street, called for more action.
“Speeding continues to be a problem along the 25 mph roadway, despite the recent fatalities and ongoing concerns,” said Albert. “We have lots of data to show us the danger points. And those are not crash data.”
He added, “I would like to know, ‘How are the police using the data that they have from the new speed advisory signs?’”
Albert argues that the busy corridor should be evaluated for a “road diet,” reducing lanes and lane widths to slow cars.
“Pleasant Street may be wide enough to accommodate more and current traffic volumes, including bicycle lanes,” he said. “Narrower lanes themselves can slow speeds. So there are two benefits — slower traffic and more space for other uses.”
Town officials note traffic and street changes should occur as incremental steps to improve safety through traffic calming and enhanced visibility of crosswalks.
In 2022, the town installed bump-outs at three crosswalks along Pleasant Street near Mohawk Road, Smith Street, and on West Shore Drive. The curb extensions narrow the roadway width at crossing points to reduce pedestrian exposure and slow approaching traffic.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Pleasant St/MA-114 is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on each side. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; the Marblehead Current articles states it is 25mph.

Date	10/27/2023, 6:24 PM
Location	235 State St.
Town	Springfield
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	68
Sex	M

A MassLive obituary shares that Michael Cooley, a lifelong resident of Springfield, died at the age of 68 after being struck by a motorist while crossing the street in front of his apartment at the Classical Condominiums on State Street. State Street was the deadliest street in Springfield for pedestrians in 2021.

From his obituary:

An indominable optimist with an irrepressible sense of humor and a love of his own jokes, Michael was an active member of Rotary and Sinai Temple, a Board Member of Pathlight, a past Grand Master of his Masonic Lodge, and an enthusiastic participant and volunteer at Grey House, the Salvation Army, the Golden Age Club, and Just Faith. He never missed a Sunday making sandwiches for Springfield’s homeless population or the chance to volunteer to help someone in need.
Springfield has never had a more loyal sports fan that Michael. In good times and bad, he was there as a jersey-wearing season ticket holder to cheer on the Falcons, the Thunderbirds, UMass basketball and football teams. Although he had physical challenges and special needs his whole life, Michael was oblivious to his own limitations or those of others. Age, race, religion, and “disability” were distinctions without differences to him except when they called forth a chance to help.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, State Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with two travel lanes in each direction. There are sidewalks on both sides of the 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 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).

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, October 2022

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.

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.

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).

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, March 2022

Last month, we took a look at the seven fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in February. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in March 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 23 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in March in the MassDOT Crash portal, seven were identified as people walking.
The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in March was 63.
We could not find any news coverage from two of the crashes. If you have any information, please let us know.

Date	3/1/2022, 7:14 PM
Location	SR-18 NORTH (1540 Bedford St.)
Town	Abington
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	35
Sex	F

Marissa Voller, age 35, was struck and killed by the driver of a pickup truck on Bedford Street in Abington. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s office indicated that visibility was low and the weather was misty.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, SR-18 (Bedford Street) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. Bedford Street is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 45 mph in the Road Inventory. While the road inventory displays it as a 2 lane road with no sidewalks, Google Streetview from August 2021 shows a newly paved roadway with 2 lanes in each direction and sidewalks on both sides as part of the MassDOT Route 18 Weymouth-Abington Improvement project; it appears that images were captured before final striping.

Abington News reported that officials had concerns about drivers speeding on a newly widened and paved roadway prior to the March 1st crash:

The night before the accident, town officials commented on the increased speeds vehicles travel along the recently widened road.
“They are flying up 18,” Fire Chief John Nuttal told the Board of Selectmen the night before the accident, adding he was surprised one of the town’s emergency response vehicles hadn’t been hit yet.
“They’re definitely going faster,” Selectman Alex Bezanson said in agreement.

Date	3/11/2022, 4:12 AM
Location	Newport Ave. + Holbrook Rd.
Town	Quincy
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	58
Sex	M

Donny Bowes, age 58, was struck and killed while in a crosswalk by the driver of a BMW SUV on Newport Avenue early on Friday morning, March 11th. NBC Boston reports that Donny was on his way to work when he was hit while crossing the street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Newport Avenue is under local jurisdiction. The speed limit is 30mph. There are two travel lanes in each direction with an additional turn lane for each direction to turn onto Holbrook Rd, a sidewalk on each side of the street, and crosswalks for all legs of the intersection. There is a pedestrian overpass on one side of this intersection so that people can walk over the MBTA tracks.

Donny worked at Fenway Park for more than a decade, the Boston Globe reported:

“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Donny Bowes this morning,” the Red Sox said in a statement to the Globe on Friday. “He was beloved by countless co-workers and Red Sox fans during his 15 years with the security department. Donny’s endless energy and infectious positive attitude made a significant impact on the Fenway Park experience. He will be greatly missed.”

This crash is a little over a mile away from the Newport Ave + Willow Ave intersection where Robert Jansen, age 62, was struck and killed in May 2021 by a 21 year old driver of a Jeep. At the time, the Boston Globe reported 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.”

Date	3/11/2022, 9:30 PM
Location	101 Waterford St.
Town	Gardner
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	33
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, Waterford Street is under local jurisdiction. Waterford Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The sidewalk ends before the intersection with Baker Street. The speed limit is listed as 99 (not entered) in the Road Inventory, but there are school zone markings on the pavement for the nearby Waterford Street School. School zone speeds, which have been established in accordance with the Massachusetts Amendments to the MUTCD, are set at 20 mph for school zones in Massachusetts.

There is no Google Streetview available for this section of Waterford Street; this image is the nearby intersection of Baker Street & Waterford Street zoomed in showing angled parking on one side of the street and the school and playing fields.

Date	3/15/2022, 10:24 PM
Location	West Franklin St. SOUTH + Beech St.
Town	Holyoke
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	67
Sex	F

Nancy “Maria” McDaniel was struck and killed at the intersection of Beech and West Franklin Streets while out walking her beloved dog, Henry, by a male driver traveling eastbound according to Western Mass News.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette talked to her sister, Ann Marie Carvalho:

Asked what more she wanted to say, Carvalho urged people to slow down when driving and give the right-of-way to pedestrians.
“Stop texting, stop playing with the radio. Whatever you’re doing, pay attention,” she said. “It impacts the whole family, burying somebody who has no right being buried yet.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, West Franklin Street and Beech Street are each under local jurisdiction. It is a signalized intersection with crosswalks on each leg. West Franklin Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is an additional right turning lane at the intersection with Beech Street. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is listed as both 30mph and 25mph in the Road Inventory. Beech Street is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in each direction with a median at the intersection. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit for Beech Street is listed as 25 mph southwest of Franklin Street, and 35mph northeast of Franklin Street in the Road Inventory.

Date	3/18/2022, 5:33 PM
Location	290 Boston Rd.
Town	Sutton
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	72
Sex	M

David V. Karacius, age 72, was hit and killed on Boston Road in Sutton. The only news coverage of this crash we could find was from Boston 25 News, that Sutton Police were investigating after a person was struck by a vehicle and the included Facebook post from the Sutton Police Department. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Boston Road is under local jurisdiction. Boston Road is two-way, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is no sidewalk or shoulder on either side of the street. The speed limit is 25 mph in the Road Inventory.

Date	3/21/2022, 5:28 PM
Location	9 Bemis St.
Town	Spencer
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	103
Sex	F

103-year old Norma Cormier died “after injuries sustained from a tragic accident.” 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, Bemis Street is under local jurisdiction. Bemis Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is no sidewalk or shoulder on either side of the street (Google Streetview image is from 2007 shows a path on one side, but may not reflect current conditions). The speed limit is not listed in the Road Inventory.

Date	3/23/2022, 11:20 AM
Location	Prospect Hill Ave. + Prospect Hill Rd.
Town	Waltham
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	73
Sex	M

Waltham News Tribune/Wicked Local reported that a middle-aged man was struck by the driver of a work van on Prospect Hill Road near the intersection of Columbus Avenue. The 73-year old man was medflighted to a hospital, where he later died.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Prospect Hill Road is under local jurisdiction. Boston Road is two-way, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is an additional left turn lane at the intersection of Prospect Hill Avenue. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30 mph in the Road Inventory. There is a crosswalk to cross Prospect Hill Avenue, but not Prospect Hill Road at this intersection.

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).

Downtown Gardner Walk Audit

Downtown Gardner was chosen as the study area in which workshop participants practiced their observation and analysis skills. This walk audit report serves as an example of the content, detail and recommendations contained in a typical walkability assessment.

Read the full document:
_WalkBoston-WalkAudit-Gardner