Tag: Springfield

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, November 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, November 2021

By |

Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at the seven fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in October. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in November 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 36 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in November in the MassDOT Crash portal, eight were identified as people walking. We have also included one additional fatal pedestrian crash that was covered in the Cape Cod Times which may not have been submitted yet to MassDOT (as of 12/16).
  • The crash portal does not include names. The name of three of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in November was 68.3.
  • At least two of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was only identified in two of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 11/3/2021, 12:28 PM
Location 632 State St.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 40
Sex M

40-year-old Michael Diaz Vargas was struck and killed on State Street in Springfield. WWLP reported that the 26-year-old driver, Eric Reyes of Springfield, faces charges of motor vehicle homicide by negligence and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. It is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in each direction, separated by a grassy median. There is a sidewalk on each side. There is no crosswalk across State Street. The speed limit is listed as 35mph.

Date 11/5/2021, 11:30 AM
Location Washington St. + Downing Rd.
Town Brookline
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 63
Sex F

Brookline Patch reported that 63-year-old Patricia “Patty” Arellano was in a crosswalk when she was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle. The unidentified driver was cited for failure to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. She had been traveling on Washington Street and turned right onto Downing Road where she struck Patty.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, both streets are under local jurisdiction. Washington Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. There is a crosswalk across Downing Road where Patty was struck. The speed limit is 30mph.

In January 2020, WalkBoston met with Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon and representatives of Boston’s Office of Neighborhood Services and Age Strong Commission at the B’nai B’rith Housing’s Covenant House & Patricia White Apartments (a 3 minute walk on Washington Street from the location in Brookline where Patty was killed). Residents shared that drivers speed along Washington Street mainly during non-rush hour times of day as they come down the hill on Washington away from Commonwealth Avenue, which leads to dangerous conditions for pedestrians trying to use the crosswalks. The City of Boston has since implemented changes to those crosswalks as part of the Allston Brighton Mobility Plan.

Date 11/9/2021, 7:15 AM
Location I-495 NORTH + SR-138
Town Raynham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 57
Sex M

MassLive reported that 57-year-old Christopher Sheppard was hit and killed in a multiple vehicle crash on I-495. From the MassLive story:

Lauren Dyer, 62, of Braintree, who was driving a pickup truck, was pronounced dead at the scene after being crushed between two vehicles. Another driver, Christopher Sheppard, who was hit while on foot outside his vehicle, died Tuesday night in a Rhode Island Hospital, authorities say. He was transported to the hospital after the incident with severe injuries.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a limited access highway, with 3 travel lanes in each direction, separated by a grassy median. The speed limit is listed as 65mph.

Date 11/9/2021, 5:11 PM
Location 1367 Main St.
Town Brockton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 73
Sex F

The Boston Globe reported an unidentified 73-year-old woman was fatally struck and killed by a driver in Brockton on Main Street. The article included a statement from the Plymouth District Attorney’s office: “Brockton Police contacted Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office and an investigation commenced. The investigation is ongoing at this time.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. (Main Street is Route 28, and some sections of Route 28 in Brockton are under MassDOT control.) Main Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. There is a crosswalk without curb ramps across Main Street at this address. The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 11/10/2021, 6:14 PM
Location 235 State St.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 56
Sex F

StreetsblogMASS reported a driver struck and killed Gayle Ball, a Springfield City library employee, age 56, while she was crossing State Street. It was the third death caused by a motor vehicle driver on State Street so far this year and second pedestrian that was hit/killed in November.

MassLive reported that the city is now making a change to State Street:

In a press briefing in city hall, public works director Christopher Cignoli said the redesign is thought of as the best way to address the safety concerns on State Street caused by the conflicting issues of pedestrians not using a crosswalk and vehicles driving fast or recklessly.

As part of the redesign, the city intends to install a crosswalk, elevated 4 to 8 inches above the roadway, between the Central Library and St. Michael’s Cathedral.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. It is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in each direction, separated by a grassy median. There is a sidewalk on each side. There is no crosswalk across State Street. The speed limit is listed as 35mph in the Road Inventory. (It is posted as 25mph in one direction and 30mph in the other direction on Google Streetview, which dates to September 2019).

Date 11/22/2021, approx 5:47 PM
Location Route 28 near junction of Orchard Road and Asher’s Path
Town Mashpee
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 91
Sex F

This crash was not listed in the crash portal as of 12/16; this info is from Cape Cod Times reporting.

The Cape Cod Times reported 91-year-old Dorothy Henderson was struck by two vehicles several minutes after she exited a Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority bus at the junction of Orchard Road and Asher’s Path on Route 28 in Mashpee on Nov. 22, according to Mashpee police. Although Henderson was initially conscious after the accident, she died from her injuries on the way to the hospital. The two drivers were not identified.

Her friend, Frances Delgado, described the intersection near the crash location:

With no crosswalk, or pedestrian stop signal at the Route 28 intersection, Delgado said cars must have had a hard time spotting [Dorothy]. “The green light is so short. You can barely make a turn there, let alone somebody walking across there. It’s so dark. You can’t see anybody out there,” Delgado said. “After this is all said and done, we need a crosswalk or safety precautions put in place. We are a 55 and older living community and it’s not right that our lives are at risk in this way.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a painted median, which is replaced by a turning lane on approach to the intersection. There are no sidewalks on this portion of Route 28. There are no crosswalks at the intersection. The speed limit is 50mph.

Date 11/23/2021, 6:44 PM
Location Lynnway + Newhall St.
Town Lynn
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 76
Sex M

NBC Boston reported that an unidentified 76-year-old Lynn resident was struck and killed in a crosswalk on the Lynnway by the driver of a 2007 Jeep Commander, a 32-year-old Lynn resident.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under MassDCR jurisdiction. It is two-way, divided parkway, with 2 travel lanes and parking in one direction and 3 travel lanes in the other direction. There is a sidewalk on each side. There is a crosswalk and signal at Newhall Street. The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 11/30/2021, 7:47 AM
Location 172 Winslow Gray Rd. NORTH
Town Yarmouth
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 85
Sex M

85-year-old Alexander Gribko was struck and killed on a side access road along Winslow Gray Road in Yarmouth. The driver fled the scene. Alexander was found by a police officer on routine patrol in the morning, though police believe he may have been struck a little after 5pm the day before while returning home from an afternoon walk. Police are still trying to identify the driver and the vehicle that struck Gribko, according to a Cape Cod Times article from mid-December.

WCVB spoke to Alexander’s neighbors:

“He’s friendly. He’d talk with all the people up and down the street, because he was out walking,” said resident Phil Johnston.

Residents are in shock that anyone could hit Gribko and leave him to die in the dark and the cold.

“It’s absurd. I just don’t get it. How could anybody do that?” asked resident Tom Vuono.

The address is listed as 172 Winslow Gray Rd in the crash portal; NBC Boston’s coverage shows tire tracks and police evidence markings along the side access road. According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. It is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There are no sidewalks, but there is a side access road. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 11/30/2021, 12:54 PM
Location North Main St. + Wright St.
Town Palmer
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 74
Sex M

WWLP reported 74-year-old Joseph Labroad of Palmer died after being struck by a vehicle allegedly driven by 33-year-old Nicole Mantanes of Palmer. The driver left the scene but was located soon after. She faces seven counts including: OUI Liquor 2nd offense, negligent operation of a MV, marked lanes violation, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury/ death, motor vehicle homicide, speeding, and inspection sticker violation.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of North Main Street is two-way, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side of the road up to Wright Street, and on one side after it. There are no crosswalks at the intersection. 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 . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

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, September 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, September 2021

By |

Each month in 2021, we plan to post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at the five fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in August. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in September 2021. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Information by Year.” The Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

  • Of the 37 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in September in the MassDOT Crash portal, seven were identified as people walking.
  • The crash portal does not include names. The name of four of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in September was 65.4.
  • At least three of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the crashes in news articles that we found.
  • We could not find any news reports for two of the fatal crashes.
Date 9/4/2021, 11:43 PM
Location 463 State St.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 62
Sex M

Two drivers struck and killed an unidentified 62-year old man at the corner of Federal and State Street in Springfield. WWLP reported that the second driver fled the scene in a red sedan.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of State Street is two-way, with 2 travel lanes in one direction and 3 travel lanes, a bike lane, and parking in the other direction. The road is 48 feet wide. There is a posted 30mph speed limit.

Date 9/10/2021, 11:35 PM
Location 201 Grand Ave.
Town Falmouth
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 81
Sex M

Michael D. Leis, age 81, was struck and killed while walking on a sidewalk in Falmouth.Police said the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed and hit Michael from behind after driving onto the sidewalk. The Falmouth Enterprise reported that the driver fled the scene, and that Falmouth Police located a vehicle and person of interest.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of Grand Ave is two-way, with a sidewalk on one side.

Date 9/12/2021, 7:42 PM
Location Mechanic St.
Town Westfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 72
Sex M

M. Leonid Chepurin, age 72, was struck and killed by an unidentified driver on Mechanic Street. The Westfield News reported that a Westfield resident is listed in the police log as an involved party, but police have not released the name of the driver.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of Mechanic Street is two-way, with sidewalks on both sides. There are crosswalks at the intersections of Thomas St and N Cherry Street. There is a 30mph speed limit.

Date 9/18/2021, 12:00 AM
Location 1365 Main St.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 60
Sex M

An unidentified 60 year old man was hit and killed by a driver in Springfield on Main Street. WWLP reports that the driver fled the scene, but police have located the car that was involved. The driver has not been identified in news reports.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of Main Street is two-way, one travel lane in each direction, a bike lane on one side, with sidewalks on both sides. There is a 25mph speed limit.

Date 9/20/2021, 4:03 PM
Location 1281 Washington St. (SR-53)
Town Weymouth
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 68
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, this street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. This road is two-way, one travel lane in each direction, with shoulders and sidewalks on both sides. There is a 45mph speed limit.

Update via reader email, 10/29:

The Weymouth Police report indicates the drivers on Rte. 53 in each direction were stopped at the driveway; one to let the pedestrian cross the street, the other to let a vehicle out of the driveway. The driver of the vehicle entering the road form the driveway stated that solar glare obstructed her view before she struck the pedestrian.

The actual posted speed limit at that location is 40 MPH.

Date 9/23/2021, 9:58 PM
Location 308 Lynn Fellsway
Town Saugus
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 47
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, this street is under MassDCR jurisdiction. This road is two-way, one travel lane in each direction, with shoulders and sidewalks on both sides. There is a 35mph speed limit in one direction and 40mph speed limit in the other direction.

Date 9/25/2021, 5:04 AM
Location SR-6 EAST, MM 79
Town Harwich
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 68
Sex M

Justin Small, age 68, was hit and killed on Route 6 by a 22-year-old Connecticut man driving a pickup truck.

The Cape Cod Times spoke to Justin’s cousin Sally, who described him:

At 6-foot-2, he was a gentle giant, said his cousin Sally Sykes. “He was a sweet, kind man, who would help anybody,” she said. For the past eight years, Small lived in an apartment at Sykes’ Brewster home. The two were close and Small was like a brother to her…”He will be missed,” said Sykes. “Yes, he had mental health issues, but he kept them in check. He did struggle, but he lived independently, and he was a kind and generous soul.”

Small’s vehicle had been damaged in a crash the night before and towed to a repair shop; his cousin speculated that Justin may have been walking home from Dennis to Harwich along Route 6.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. This road is a two-way, limited access divided highway with one travel lane in each direction and shoulders on each side. There is a 50mph speed limit.

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

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, July 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, July 2021

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

  • Of the 27 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in July in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking. There was at least 1 additional fatal incident during July, announced in a press release by the MA State Police (MSP):
    • On July 12th, an unidentified 50 year old man was found deceased on the I-90 Exit 135 ramp. (Editor’s note: Since this crash is not listed in the crash portal, it is possible that MSP investigators ruled the person died prior to the crash or that it was a suicide, either of which would mean it would not appear in the FARS data.)
  • The crash portal does not include names. The names of 3 of the people walking who died have not been made public yet.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in July was 53.3.
  • At least 1 of the crashes were hit & runs (as referenced in news articles).
  • The name of the person driving was not identified in any of the crashes in news articles that we found.
Date 7/3/2021, 6:56 AM
Location Weld St.
Town West Roxbury
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 63
Sex F

A 63-year-old woman was struck & killed by a driver on Weld St near West Roxbury Parkway. The driver had just turned right off the parkway onto Weld. We could not find news articles about this crash.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is two-way, with a travel lane in each direction. The road is 37 feet wide. Boston has a citywide 25mph default speed limit.

Date 7/10/2021, 11:52 AM
Location 80 Bellingham St.
Town Chelsea
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 1
Sex M

A 19-month-old boy was struck and killed in Chelsea by a 45-year-old woman driving an SUV that had just picked up a rider.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one-way, with a travel lane and a parking lane. The road is 24 feet wide. Chelsea has a citywide 25mph default speed limit.

WBZ-TV reported that speeding is a problem on Bellingham Street:

Neighbors tell us Bellingham Street is notorious for speeding and with two playgrounds nearby, they hope this tragedy will spark change.

“All these houses here, they all have little kids in them. Like I said, this street is like a racetrack and something needs to happen,” said [neighbor Paul] Ford. “People see things happen firsthand today – hopefully it sends a message.”

Date 7/13/2021, 8:54 AM
Location Wilbraham Rd. + Massachusetts Ave.
Town Springfield
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 65
Sex F

Margaret “Lani” Kretschmar, age 65, was hit and killed while crossing Wilbraham Road in a crosswalk. Margaret was an employee at American International College in Springfield. Western Mass News reports that the City of Springfield promises to make the intersection safer.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction. The road is 40 feet wide. The speed limit is 30mph.

WalkBoston and Way Finders conducted a walk audit that included a section of Wilbraham Road earlier this summer (summary, full report). While the crosswalk where this crash occurred was not part of the walk audit route, Wilbraham Road was called out in the first key recommendation:

Improve pedestrian safety and comfort on Wilbraham Road Wilbraham Road is a 2-lane collector street with parallel parking on both sides. The area is primarily single and multi-family residences with several restaurants and churches along the road. Vehicular traffic volumes are relatively high with drivers frequently hitting high speeds for such a dense neighborhood district. While there are wide sidewalks for pedestrians, additional infrastructure is needed to provide a safer and healthier walking environment.

Date 7/17/2021, 2:45 AM
Location 187 Pleasant St. Ralph Talbot St.
Town Weymouth
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 61
Sex F

Xuan “Sue” Vo, age 61, was struck and killed in a hit and run crash. She had stopped by a neighbor’s house to use the internet on Friday night and indicated she would take a walk before bed. She was found on the sidewalk at 2:45AM by a patrol officer. The person driving has not yet been found.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction with shoulders on each side. The road is 44 feet wide. The speed limit is unclear based on incomplete info in the Road Inventory database for this street.

A Wicked Local Weymouth/Weymouth News article from 2019 indicated efforts to regulate speeding drivers on nearby Park Avenue due to dangerous behavior.

Similarly, NBC Boston reports that speeding is a problem on Pleasant Street:

Patrick Barfield says the road where the fatal crash occurred is already an area of focus for police because of excessive speeding.

“This road unfortunately, we have a lot of people coming down here with a high speed,” Barfield said, “and actually the police have already been staking it out giving people tickets for it.”

Date 7/27/2021, 5:58 PM
Location 832 East St.
Town Walpole
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 81
Sex F

The Boston Globe reports that an unidentified 81-year-old woman was hit and killed by a driver on East Street in Walpole.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under local jurisdiction. This stretch of road is one lane in each direction with shoulders on each side. The speed limit is 35 mph and there are sidewalks.

Date 7/27/2021, 11:52 PM
Location 947 Providence Hwy. + Elm St.
Town Dedham
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 49
Sex M

WHDH reported that 49-year-old Stephen P. Hogan was hit and killed while crossing Providence Highway (Rt 1) at Elm Street by an unidentified driver of a Nissan Altima.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. This stretch of road is 3-4 lanes in each direction with sidewalks on each side. The speed limit is 40 mph.

In 2014, MAPC collaborated with the Towns of Dedham and Westwood to create a Dedham and Westwood Bicycle and Pedestrian Network Plan. Page 9 of this plan reads: 

“Rt 1 at Elm St (Dedham) Adjacent to Legacy Place, this intersection experiences high pedestrian volumes accessing bus routes on the opposite side of Rt 1. The wide street crossing plus high turning speeds creates unnecessary barriers primarily in terms of the length of the crossing. This intersection has relatively new sidewalks and crosswalks, but does not diminish the scale of the crossing. Responsibility – MassDOT.”

In 2019, the Town of Dedham established the Active Transportation Working Group to improve safety for non-vehicular travel in Dedham. The charter of this working group charges it with the responsibility to advocate for safe transportation connections between Route 1 and Route 1A in the Dedham corridor; this group is actively working to have MassDOT address this intersection (see letter). 

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

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).

Upper Hill Neighborhood Walk Audit Springfield

Upper Hill Neighborhood Walk Audit Springfield

By |

On June 10, 2021, WalkBoston and Way Finders conducted a walk assessment with Springfield community members as part of the Mass in Motion grant program in the Upper Hill neighborhood. The goal of the walk audit was to identify areas of improvement in the built environment, with special focus on ADA compliance issues. Residents voiced concerns about making Upper Hill a safer, more welcoming neighborhood for all people, especially for the elderly, children, and people with mobility issues.

Read the full report here.

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, May 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, May 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Updates

If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our . WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.

Yearly trackers:  |||||

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal

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