Tag: Sutton

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, February 2024

Statewide Fatal Crashes in MA, February 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. 

In our previous post, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in January; nine were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in February 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 20 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in February in the MassDOT Crash portal, 7 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 February was 60.5.
Date 2/12/2024, 5:53 PM
Location South St. + Charles St.
Town Holyoke
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 64
Sex M

22News/WWLP reports that a 65-year old man was hit and killed while crossing South Street in Holyoke. Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia provided a statement to the news outlet:

“I am deeply saddened to hear of this terrible accident and loss that our city has endured. My heart goes out to the family. Here is what we know at this time: The pedestrian who was hit was not using the crosswalk, and it is my understanding that the driver of the vehicle was distracted with cell phone usage at the time of the accident. The Holyoke Police Department does not believe that the lights of that crosswalk played a role in this tragic accident. The Massachusetts State Police are currently investigating the matter and once the MSP Accident Team concludes their investigation, we will be able to provide further updates on the situation.”

22News/WWLP followed up by speaking to Holyoke residents:

Pat O’Connor, who lives near that intersection says she has to cross it often, but doesn’t feel safe doing so, “Even when you are in the crosswalk, they don’t want to stop. I’ve seen people here with wheel chairs, canes, walkers, going across the street and they just try to get around you. Its awful.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, South Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on each side of the street. There is not a crosswalk to cross over South at the intersection with Charles Street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 2/13/2024, 5:53 PM
Location Main St.
Town Southbridge
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 66
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, Main Street 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 25mph.

Date 2/16/2024, 11:57 AM
Location 375 Maple St. + 155 Cabot St.
Town Holyoke
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 74
Sex F

A 74-year-old Holyoke woman was taken to Baystate Medical Center but died from her injuries after she was struck by the driver of a car at the intersection of Maple and Cabot Streets near the library. This was the second fatal pedestrian crash in February in Holyoke.

News413 reports that MassDOT is working with Holyoke on a safety project for the High and Maple Street corridors; the project is in the planning phase and construction would not be completed until at least 2026.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Maple Street and Cabot Street are both under local jurisdiction. Cabot is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 25mph. Maple is a one-way road in the direction of Cabot with two travel lanes and parking on both sides of the street. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30mph. There are also School Speed Limit 20mph When Flashing” signs on two sides of the intersection.

Date 2/16/2024, 9:35 PM
Location 158 Oak St.
Town Brockton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 44
Sex M

WCVB reports the driver of a Chevrolet van was traveling west on Oak Street when it struck a 44-year old man in the roadway in the area of Raymond Elementary School and Brockton North Middle School. The man who was struck was transported by Brewster Ambulance to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton with life-threatening injuries. Police said he was then flown to Boston Medical Center for further treatment; they later died from their injuries.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Oak Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Date 2/17/2024, 6:20 PM
Location 223 Worcester-Providence Tpke.
Town Sutton
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 34
Sex F

MassLive reports 34-year old Nicole Young was struck and killed by a car in Sutton along Worcester-Providence Turnpike (Rt 146).

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Worcester-Providence Turnpike (Rt-146) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way Multi-lane Highway, not limited access. There are three lanes in each direction with a median. There are no sidewalks. The speed limit is 55mph.

Date 2/28/2024, 4:30 AM
Location Melnea Cass Blvd. + Hampden St.
Town Boston
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 60
Sex M

WCVB reports a 60-year old man was struck and killed at the intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Hampden Street around 4:30am; police tape surrounded a black SUV at the scene.

WalkMassachusetts spoke with Boston 25 News about crashes across the state, reinforcing that street improvements and traffic calming are “really an effort of making it safer so everyone can get around and get back to their families.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Melnea Cass Blvd and Hampden Street are both under local jurisdiction. Melnea Cass is a two-way road with two through travel lanes and a left turn lane in each direction. Hampden Street is a two-way road with one through travel lane and a dedicated turn lane towards Mass Ave in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of each street. The speed limit is 35mph.

Date 2/28/2024, 6:41 PM
Location 21 Green St,
Town Newburyport
Type PEDESTRIAN
Age 80
Sex F

MassLive reports 80-year old Rev. Helen M. Sampson Murgida was struck and killed outside Newburyport City Hall by the driver of a Ford F-150 before she was to give a prayer at the State of the City Address.

Mayor Sean Reardon released a statement:

“We are deeply saddened by the untimely passing of the Rev. Helen M. Sampson Murgida, Affiliate Community Minister at the First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist Church. Rev. Helen was scheduled to deliver a prayer at the State of the City Address.

“This is a tragic day for the Newburyport community. Our hearts are prayers are with her family, friends, and the First Religious Society.

“As an Interfaith Chaplain, Rev. Helen touched many lives within her congregation and throughout Newburyport. She had spent a long and rewarding career in special education, and she carried her passion to support those facing challenges through her faith. She advocated tirelessly for the inclusion of people with disabilities, delivering sermons and organizing community programming to raise awareness.

“She made our City an even more welcoming and inclusive place.

“My office is working with the First Religious Society to offer opportunities for community healing and will be offering ways to help the many community members affected by this loss. We also are making counseling services available to City Hall staff who have been touched by this tragedy.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Green Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a one-way road with two travel lanes and parking on both sides. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear.

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 2024 list. WalkMassachusetts 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.

Monthly crash review

Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2023)

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

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, March 2022

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

Last month, we took a look at 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).

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.