Tag: New Bedford

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, January 2024

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, January 2024

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Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from a previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here. We will be releasing a year in review for 2023 in the coming weeks to highlight common issues. You can read the year in review for 2022 here.

In our previous post, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in December; eight were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in January 2024. 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 28 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in January in the MassDOT Crash portal, 9 were identified as people walking.
  • Similar to last month, some of the pedestrian crashes had the ‘speed limit’ field blank in the Road Inventory Viewer. We are now also using the MassGIS-MassDOT Roads layer to check for speed limit information.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in January was 46.1.
Date 1/1/2024, 2:47 AM
Location 55 West Housatonic St.
Town Pittsfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 34
Sex F

CBS 6 News (WRGB Albany) reported that two people were seriously injured after they were hit by a car while crossing the street early on New Year’s Day.

A 2014 Toyota Corolla driven by Nicholas Ainsley, 23, of Pittsfield, MA, was traveling eastbound on West Housatonic Street, when he hit two people that were crossing in the 50 block area, according to police. The pedestrians were identified as Shanon M. Steffey, 34, of Pittsfield, and Matthew Squires, 32, of Pittsfield. They were both taken to Berkshire Medical Center with serious injuries. Steffey was later transferred to Bay State Medical Center, as her condition was critical, according to police.

Steffey later succumbed to their injuries.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, W Housatonic St is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and a right turn lane. There is a crosswalk at this location. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 25mph.

Date 1/3/2024, 9:25 AM
Location Southern Artery + South St.
Town Quincy
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 85
Sex M

The Quincy Sun reports 85-year old John Collins was struck and killed by a 63-year old Quincy man in front of a senior living apartment complex at 1000 Southern Artery in Quincy near the intersection of South Street and Southern Artery.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Southern Artery is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and turn lanes at the intersection. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 1/6/2024, 5:15 AM
Location SR-116 SOUTH
Town Hadley
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 33
Sex M

WWLP reports that 33-year old Melvin L. Wilson was struck and killed while walking south along Rt 116. The 29-year old driver who hit him called 911 and stayed on the scene.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, SR-1116 South is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way median divided roadway with two travel lanes in each direction. There are no sidewalks. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 1/11/2024, 5:35 PM
Location Hathaway Rd. + Tradewind St.
Town New Bedford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 48
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, Hathaway Road 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. The speed limit is 40mph.

Date 1/16/2024, 5:36 PM
Location Washington St. + Commercial Dr.
Town Wrentham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 42
Sex M

42-year old Patrick Royster was struck and killed after being hit by an SUV with a plow attached.

MassLive reports that 73-year old Gregory Stahl is being charged with leaving the scene of a collision causing death and for driving with an expired license.

From NBC 10 Boston:

Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash, but snow, slush and rain caused slick conditions in Wrentham and elsewhere across Massachusetts.

“It’s a dark section of road, as you can see, and obviously, the weather is not good, so visibility was not great,” [Police Chief Bill] McGrath said.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Washington Street and Commercial Street are each under local jurisdiction. Washington Street a two-way road with two travel lanes and shoulders in each direction. There are no sidewalks on either side of the street. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 1/19/2024, 11:54 AM
Location 35 Oak Island St.
Town Revere
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 59
Sex F

WWLP reports a 59-year old Danvers woman was struck and killed around noon by an SUV operated by a 60-year old woman in Revere about a block away from Revere Beach Boulevard.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Oak Island Street is under MassDCR jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There are sidewalks on each side of the street. The speed limit is unclear, as it is blank in the database and no speed limit signs are viewable on the street on Google Streetview.

Date 1/24/2024, 3:17 AM
Location Massachusetts Ave. + Albany St.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 35
Sex F

Boston 25 News reports that a woman using a wheelchair was struck and killed by the driver of a plow truck outside Boston Medical Center.

From Boston 25 News:

“It’s sad, it’s sad you know. She’s somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister,” a woman who knew the victim told Boston 25 News. “I can’t even imagine how the driver must feel. They said he was so distraught.”

The driver of the truck involved in the crash also remained on the scene.

In a statement shared with Boston 25 News, W.L. French Jr. Trucking, the operating company of the truck, said:

“Early this morning, one of our plows was involved in an accident that resulted in a loss of life. W. L. French, Jr. Trucking and its entire team are committed to the safety of the public, our people, and our work. We are heartbroken by this tragic accident. We extend our sympathies to the family of the individual and all of those affected by this loss. W. L. French, Jr. Trucking is cooperating with authorities during this investigation.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Massachusetts Avenue is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with two straight travel lanes and one turn lane in each direction. (The Road Inventory only lists 2 lanes in each direction.) There are sidewalks on each side of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 1/24/2024, 6:03 AM
Location Main St.
Town Great Barrington
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 41
Sex M

The Berkshire Eagle reports 41-year old Niall Nordoff was struck and killed after being struck by the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado.

The Berkshire Eagle went on to give more context, including a Facebook post from Niall just months earlier: 

Friends of Nordoff, a landscaper and landscape designer, said he was walking from his home off South Main Street (Route 7) — not far from where he was hit — on his way to a job interview. Police have not yet confirmed this, however.

Others pointed to a Facebook post made by Nordoff in November in which he said drivers on that straightaway were “doing 80 and barely missing me.”

“The amount of traffic on 7 from where I live to big y is out of control,” he also wrote.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Main Street / Rt 7 is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. Photos from the news article does not show any sidewalks on this section of the roadway. The Road Inventory says there is a 4 foot sidewalk on one side of the roadway; Google Streetview shows there are unconnected segments of sidewalk on one side of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 1/27/2024, 5:20 PM
Location William F. McClellan Highway + Curtis St.
Town East Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 38
Sex M

38-year old Ernest Partin was struck and killed on Rt 1A in East Boston near Curtis Street.

From StreetsblogMASS:

In 2021, MassDOT commissioned a new Route 1A Corridor Study whose goals were to “improve safety for people using all modes of transportation (walking, biking, transit, driving, etc.)” and to “expand and enhance connectivity for users of all modes of transportation along and across the Route 1A corridor.”

That study identified the Curtis Street intersection as a “conflict point with high crash history, including fatalities.” Drivers have killed three people in the vicinity of the Route 1A-Curtis Street intersection since 2016.

MassDOT’s Route 1A Corridor Study remains incomplete, and there have been no public meetings for a full year.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, William F. McClellan Highway (Rt 1A) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way median divided road with two lanes / expanding to three travel lanes in each direction. There are sidewalks along either side of the street. The speed limit is 45mph.

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, December 2023

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, December 2023

By |

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.

In our previous post, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in November; six were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in December 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 35 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in December in the MassDOT Crash portal, 8 were identified as people walking.
  • Similar to last month, some of the pedestrian crashes had the ‘speed limit’ field blank in the Road Inventory Viewer. We are now also using the MassGIS-MassDOT Roads layer to check for speed limit information.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in December was 58.7. (One crash victim’s age was not released.)
Date 12/6/2023, 4:40 PM
Location 166 Totten Pond Rd.
Town Waltham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 58
Sex M
Date 12/6/2023, 4:40 PM
Location 166 Totten Pond Rd.
Town Waltham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 36
Sex M

NBC Boston reports 54-year old Peter Simon drove into an active roadside work zone which was set up to investigate a possible gas leak and killed 58-year old Paul Tracey, a Waltham police officer, and 36-year old Roderick Jackson, a National Grid employee.

From NBC Boston:

Prosecutors said Simon drove into the work site and veered between a National Grid truck and a backhoe. Between the two vehicles was a trench where National Grid employees were working. Tracey was directing traffic and Jackson was near him when Simon veered his vehicle in their direction, striking them both.

The work site was clearly marked with orange cones, orange signs and yellow flashing lights to alert drivers, prosecutors said.

After striking Tracey and Jackson, Simon crashed into multiple vehicles on scene, including a National Grid truck, at which point he abandoned the Ford F-150 and ran off.

This is the second incident in less than two months (October 12th in Pittsfield) in which someone was struck and killed while doing their job in a well-marked work zone.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Totten Pond Rd is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There are no sidewalks on either side of the street. The speed limit is 45mph.

Date 12/13/2023, 9:27 PM
Location Wilbur Ave. + Brayton Point Rd.
Town Somerset
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 55
Sex M

1420 WBSM reports that 55-year old Matthew Martinville was struck and killed by the 49-year old driver of a Chevy Silverado on Wilbur Avenue; a preliminary investigation by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to that office and Somerset Police revealed that the driver of the truck was traveling westbound on Wilbur Avenue through the intersection of Brayton Avenue when he struck Martinville in the roadway.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Wilbur Ave is under MassDOT jurisdiction. Brayton Point Rd is under local jurisdiction. Each street is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of each street. There is a sidewalk at each corner of the intersection, though no curb ramps. The speed limit is 35mph on Wilbur Ave, and 30mph on Brayton Point Rd.

Date 12/14/2023, 6:09 PM
Location 419 Main St.
Town Southbridge
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 79
Sex M

79-year old Prosper R. Gadoury was struck by a driver and then transported to UMass Memorial in Worcester, where he died on December 22nd from his injuries.

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. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 25mph.

Date 12/18/2023, 3:08 AM
Location Alford St. + Dexter St.
Town Charlestown
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age UNKNOWN
Sex M

NBC Boston reports a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run crash outside in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood [near Encore Boston Harbor]  just after 3 a.m. on Alford and Dexter streets. The drive of the vehicle fled the scene. Investigators believe the driver fled on Alford Street toward Everett before officers arrived.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Alford Street (Rt 99) and Dexter Street are both under local jurisdiction. Dexter Street is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. Alford Street (Rt 99) is a two-way road with two travel lanes in each direction, expanding to six lanes (two lanes toward Boston, four lanes in the direction of Everett) after passing the Dexter/Alford intersection. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit for Alford Street (Rt 99) is 40mph. The speed limit for Dexter Street is unclear, with blank fields in both the MassDOT Road Inventory & the MassGIS-MassDOT Roads layer.

Date 12/20/2023, 8:40 AM
Location 100 Elliott St.
Town Haverhill
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 80
Sex M

An 80-year old resident of Lakeview House in Haverhill died after being struck by a bus near a bus stop by the entrance of the Haverhill campus of Northern Essex Community College.

WHAV reports that he is being remembered as an avid bus rider who traveled almost every day:

MeVa Transit Administrator and CEO Noah S. Berger told WHAV the man was known to the bus driver and passengers. He said, “This is why situations like this are so heartbreaking because, obviously, our hearts go out to the family of the gentleman. Nothing we can do can bring him back. For our operators, that’s always the biggest nightmare. That’s the thing that everyone is terrified of. It’s a devastating thing and awful for the other riders of the bus.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Elliott Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There are no sidewalks on either side of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 12/29/2023, 5:10 PM
Location SR-140 SOUTH, between EXIT 3 + 4
Town New Bedford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 28
Sex F

MassLive reports 28-year old Julia Luiz was struck and killed in a multi-vehicle crash on SR-140 after her vehicle broke down in the left lane.

Law enforcement’s preliminary investigation revealed Luiz was driving a Toyota Camry when it apparently became disabled in the left lane. She was outside her car in the roadway when a 63-year-old New Bedford man driving a Toyota RAV4 struck her vehicle, the district attorney’s office detailed.

Moments later, a Toyota Camry driven by a 58-year-old Rochester man also hit Luiz’s disabled car, according to Quinn’s office.

Luiz died as a result of the crash. None of the other drivers were seriously injured, the district attorney’s office said.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, SR-140 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way median divided roadway with two travel lanes in each direction. There are no sidewalks. The speed limit is 65mph.

Date 12/30/2023, 7:01 PM
Location Warren Ave. SOUTH + West Elm St. EAST
Town Brockton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 75
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, West Elm Street and Warren Ave are both under local jurisdiction. West Elm St is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. Warren Ave is a one-way road with three travel lanes. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit on West Elm St is 30mph, and the speed limit on Warren Ave is 25mph.

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, August 2023

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, August 2023

By |

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 July; three were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in August 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 August in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in August was 52.3.
  • At least 1 took place in a parking lot, which is usually not included in FARS crash data.
Date 8/2/2023, 9:27 PM
Location 1233 SR-5 EAST
Town Holyoke
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 53
Sex M

Western Mass News reports a driver of a Jeep struck and killed a 53-year old person walking in the southbound left lane near 1233 Main Street in Holyoke.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Main Street/SR-5 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is two-way street with two lanes in each direction, a median barrier, and a sidewalk on the northbound side. The speed limit is 45 mph.

Date 8/7/2023, 6:43 PM
Location 85 MacArthur Dr.
Town New Bedford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 36
Sex M

NBC Boston reports 36-year old John Blomgren was struck and killed by a 56-year old driver just before 7pm in a sports bar’s parking lot.

This fatal crash happened in a parking lot, which is usually not included in FARS crash data. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, MacArthur Drive is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with one lane in each direction, sidewalks on both sides, and bike lanes in each direction. The speed limit is unclear, with 99mph listed in the database.

Date 8/18/2023, 9:18 PM
Location 430 Union St.
Town Rockland
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 63
Sex M

Boston 25 News reports 63-year old Richard Erwin was struck and killed by 18-year old Jacob Ryan who was driving a brown KIA Optima around 9pm.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Union Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with one lane in each direction, sidewalks on both sides, and bike lanes in each direction. The speed limit is unclear, with 99mph listed in the database.

Date 8/24/2023, 3:56 PM
Location 790 High St.
Town Hanson
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 90
Sex M

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

This fatal crash happened on a roadway within a cemetery, private parking areas are usually not included in FARS crash data. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, High Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with no sidewalks. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed and not viewable nearby on street view.

Date 8/27/2023, 3:08 AM
Location US-6 EAST, EXIT 78A
Town Dennis
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 21
Sex M

Cape Cod Times/Yahoo News shared that a serious multi-vehicle crash in Dennis shut down Route 6 eastbound early Sunday morning. 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, US-6 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a divided highway with a grassy median, with two lanes and a shoulder in each direction. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 8/31/2023, 8:06 PM
Location 248 Dickinson St.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 51
Sex F

A 51-year old woman was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle on Dickinson Street in Springfield.

WWLP/22News spoke to community members nearby:

“They drive a little too fast and we have to watch and make sure they clear before I walk,” said Cathy Tai, owner of Cathy’s Beauty Supply.

“The biggest problem that I find living here and crossing these streets is just people that drive aggressively. They come around the corner, they don’t expect someone to be standing there trying to cross,” said Thomas Balcom of Springfield.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Dickinson Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with one lane in each direction with sidewalks on both sides. 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, August 2022

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, August 2022

By |

Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here. Earlier this year, we released a year in review for 2021 to highlight common issues.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in July; none were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in August 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.

Date 8/2/2022, 7:29 PM
Location 113 Northampton St.
Town Easthampton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 60
Sex F
Date 8/2/2022, 7:29 PM
Location 113 Northampton St.
Town Easthampton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 81
Sex M

MassLive reports that a South Hadley man driving a sedan struck and killed Edward Hanlon, Jr., age 81, and Ilona Murray, age 60, as they were crossing Northampton Street in front of a Burger King.

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

Date 8/2/2022, 9:58 PM
Location Walnut Ave. + Seaver St.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 88
Sex M

NBC 10 Boston reports that an 88-year old man was struck and seriously injured by a car near the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Seaver Street. Images from the news report and the location on the crash portal map seem to show the crash just beyond the intersection on Columbus Avenue. (Seaver Street becomes Columbus Avenue after it crosses Walnut Avenue.) We could not find any additional news coverage of this incident; the person passed away from the crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. The Google Street View is from July 2019 and does not reflect current conditions; a center running bus lane was added more recently, which can be seen on Google’s overhead view (Screenshot below). There is one general travel lane in each direction, a two way center running bus lane with pedestrian islands on each side for the Walnut Avenue bus stop, and sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 25mph and 30mph in the database.

Date 8/13/2022, 11:37 PM
Location I-290 WEST, west of EXIT 20
Town Worcester
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 27
Sex M

MassLive reports that 27-year old Jamal Mustapha was struck and killed in a hit and run on I-290 by an unknown vehicle, possibly a tractor trailer; he was subsequently struck by other vehicles. None of the vehicles stopped.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are 3 travel lanes in each direction and a median divider. The speed limit is 50mph.

Date 8/20/2022, 2:45 AM
Location SR-140 SOUTH, MM 2.6
Town New Bedford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 45
Sex F

The Boston Globe reports that the driver of a Ford F-150 struck and killed 45-year old Joy Swartzendruber, who was standing outside of her Toyota Avalon on the shoulder of the northbound side of the two-lane highway around 2:30 a.m. The driver sideswiped the Toyota and hit Swartzendruber.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are two travel lane in each direction and a median divider. The speed limit is 65mph.

Date 8/20/2022, 2:58 PM
Location SR-106, 204 Plymouth St.
Town Halifax
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 62
Sex M

The Fall River Reporter shares that a driver struck and killed 62-year old Henry O Ejueyitchie as Henry was crossing Plymouth Street in Halifax around 3pm.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on one side of the street. The speed limit is 40mph.

Date 8/23/2022, 10:04 PM
Location US-1 SOUTH at Essex St.
Town Saugus
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 45
Sex M

WCVB reports that the driver of a 2014 Nissan Maxima struck and killed 45-year old Carlos Vasquez in the leftmost southbound lane near the Essex Street exit of Route 1. State police investigators believe Vasquez was attempting to cross from the area of a Burger King restaurant to the northbound side, where his girlfriend was waiting for him.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are three travel lane in each direction, a median divider, and a sidewalk on each side of the street. The speed limit is 50mph.

Date 8/26/2022, 1:21 AM
Location US-20 EAST, MM 91.6
Town Brimfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 62
Sex F

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports that a 62-year old woman was struck and killed as she walked in the breakdown lane of Route 20 in Sturbridge. (News reports indicate this crash was in Sturbridge, while the details in the crash portal from the police report lists Brimfield; the Brimfield / Sturbridge line is near the crash location.) A preliminary investigation revealed the motor vehicle was traveling eastbound when the driver went into the breakdown lane and struck the person walking.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a buffered bike lane in each direction. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 8/27/2022, 1:40 AM
Location SR-16 WEST + Vine St.
Town Everett
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 53
Sex M

The Boston Globe reports that the driver of a 2001 Toyota Camry struck and killed 53-year old Oscar J. Portillo in the westbound right lane, just west of Vine Street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Route 16 is under MassDOT jurisdiction, and Vine Street is under local jurisdiction. There are three travel lanes in each direction on Route 16, and an additional left turn lane onto Vine Street. There is a median and a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 8/27/2022, 10:34 PM
Location Lowell Connector NORTH, near Industrial Ave.
Town Lowell
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 29
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, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are three travel lanes in each direction and a median divider. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 8/31/2022, 5:59 AM
Location 280 Providence St.
Town Worcester
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 78
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, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 8/31/2022, 8:18 PM
Location 273 Pleasant St.
Town Brockton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 24
Sex M

WCVB reports that a young married couple was crossing the street when they were hit. Eddison Matza, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife, Mira Fernanda, 20, is at Boston Medical Center in serious condition.

Witnesses told WCVB the couple was walking across the street after being dropped off when they were hit by a Mercedes sedan, that then was struck by the motorcycles. One of the motorcycles was then hit by another car in the chain reaction crash. 

“Since February it’s like the third accident I’m seeing on the same road,” witness Edmar Gonsalves said. “After I heard everything, I went outside and then what I found was a dead person right in front of my house. I can’t even trust the road. I can’t even trust my neighborhood because of the street over there — people driving crazy.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk 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 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, January 2022

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, January 2022

By |

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. We will be releasing a year in review for 2021 in the coming weeks to highlight common issues.

Last month, we took a look at the four fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in December. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in January 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 27 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in January in the MassDOT Crash portal, nine were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in January was 52.2.
Date 1/1/2022, 7:54 PM
Location US-3 NORTH, south of EXIT 78
Town Billerica
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 43
Sex M

Joseph Francois, age 43, was struck and killed by a 2016 Ford F-150 that was being driven by a 25-year-old Billerica man. WCVB reports that Joseph had been a passenger in a 2016 Chevrolet Equinox that was pulled over in the breakdown lane.

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

Date 1/4/2022, 6:00 PM
Location 577 Belleville Ave.
Town New Bedford
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 54
Sex M

A 54 year old man was hit and killed in New Bedford. 1420 WBSM (New Bedford’s News-Talk Station) shared that according to a police department spokesperson, the man was apparently crossing the street near Belleville Avenue and Nash Road at around 6 p.m. when he was struck by a car.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, both Belleville Avenue and Nash Road are under local jurisdiction. Belleville Avenue is two-way, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. Nash Road is two-way,with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of each street. There is a crosswalk across Nash Street. The speed limit is not indicated for either street in the Road Inventory.

Date 1/6/2022, 7:13 PM
Location 450 Highland Ave.
Town Salem
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 41
Sex F

A 41 year old woman was hit and killed near Walmart in Salem on Rt 107 / Highland Avenue. WCVB shared that “a preliminary investigation found the woman was crossing the street in front of the Walmart when she was hit by a southbound 2021 Honda Accord in the left lane…several busy stores are located in the area, including a Walmart and a Dunkin’. There is no crosswalk at that intersection.”

The MassDOT Crash Impact Portal’s mapping tool displays the crash location as along the side of the roadway near the entrance to the Walmart Plaza.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There is a median and 2 travel lanes in each direction. There is an additional left turning lane and right turning lane into the Walmart lot at the signalized intersection.  The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 1/10/2022, 5:15 PM
Location 179 Vernon St.
Town Worcester
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 72
Sex M

A 72 year old man was hit and killed at the corner of Vernon Street and Upsala Street in Worcester, the Telegram & Gazette / Yahoo Finance reported. The victim was unconscious at the scene and taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he later died.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, both Vernon and Upsala are under local jurisdiction. Each street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of each street. There is a crosswalk across each leg of the intersection. There is a bus stop sign visible on Street View. The speed limit is not indicated for either street in the Road Inventory.

Date 1/17/2022, 9:01 PM
Location California Ave. + Worcester Rd.
Town Framingham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 48
Sex M

A 48 year old man was hit and killed near the intersection of California Avenue and Worcester Road (Route 9) in Framingham.  CBS Boston shared that “the driver of the 1986 Mazda RX7 was headed west in the left lane when it’s alleged that he hit the pedestrian and then crashed into the center median.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Worcester Road/Rt 9 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a partial access control roadway, with a median and 3 travel lanes in each direction. There are 2 additional left turning lanes on Rt9 eastbound and a right turning lane on Rt9 westbound to access California Street at the signalized intersection. The speed limit is 45mph.

There is a crosswalk to cross California Street, but there are no crosswalks at this signalized intersection to cross Worcester Rd/Route 9.

Date 1/19/2022, 6:29 PM
Location 1188 Main St.
Town Wakefield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 69
Sex F

Wakefield Patch reported that a woman in her 60s was struck and killed by the driver of a Nissan Frontier truck on Main Street near Cibo Cafe & Bistro and the post office.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction and parking on each side. The speed limit is 30mph.

Residents have formed a Safe Streets Working Group, and meet the 4th Wednesday of Each Month at 7pm; the group had been speaking with DPW members the evening of the fatal crash.

Date 1/26/2022, 4:01 PM
Location Lindelof Ave. (SR-139) + SR-24 NORTH onramp
Town Stoughton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 21
Sex F

A person was hit and killed on Lindelof Avenue (State Route 139) in Stoughton near the Rt 24 interchange.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this section of Lindelof Avenue near the interchange is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It has a median and 2 travel lanes in each direction along with on/off ramps. There are no sidewalks. There is no shoulder after the on ramp meets the roadway. The speed limit is 40mph.

Date 1/27/2022, 2:26 PM
Location 50 Pine Cone Dr.
Town Yarmouth
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 76
Sex F

CapeCod.com reports that a 76 year old woman was struck and killed by the driver of an SUV near Pine Cone Drive and Rainbow Road in Yarmouth.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with a four way stop signed intersection. There are no sidewalks. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 1/29/2022, 12:33 AM
Location 34 Fairview Rd.
Town Canton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 46
Sex M

MassLive reports that 46 year old John O’Keefe was hit and killed when his girlfriend Karen Read backed her SUV into him:

Prosecutors said Wednesday that they believe Karen Read backed her car into her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, hours before he was found in the early snow drifts of Saturday’s nor’easter, suffering injuries that would later kill him.

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