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 three fatal crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in April. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in May 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 38 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in May in the MassDOT Crash portal, ten were identified as people walking.
• The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in May was 57.
• At least four of the crash locations either have the speed limit field left blank, or there are conflicting speed limits listed in the MassDOT Road Inventory Tool.

A 78-year old was struck and killed by the driver of a Toyota Corolla on Bridge Street near the intersection with VFW Highway in Lowell. The Lowell Sun coverage included MassDOT data for this location:

Data released by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shows Bridge Street and VFW Highway experienced more vehicle crashes than any other intersection in the state from 2015 to 2017. The MassDOT’s 2017 Top Crash Locations Report — which includes pedestrian accidents — is based on crashes entered into the Registry of Motor Vehicles Crash Data System. The report shows over the two-year period there were 124 total crashes at the intersection, including 28 crashes that were fatal or caused injury.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. At the intersection with VFW Highway, there is a slip lane and travel lane in one direction, and three lanes in the other direction (two turning lanes and a straight/right turn lane). There is a sidewalk on each side of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

A 19-year old Palmer man was struck by the driver of a tractor-trailer on the Mass Pike walking near the median. MassLive reported that investigators believe the man was a Palmer resident who had walked up onto the highway after parking his car on North Main Street under an overpass.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes, a shoulder, and a divided median. The speed limit is 65mph.

Chafang Wu, age 50, was hit and killed by the driver of a Toyota Prius.

NBC10Boston spoke to the driver behind the woman who struck and killed the person walking:

He was driving down West Chestnut in Brockton when he saw the Prius in front of him suddenly veer off the road and crash into a telephone pole, then a woman laying on the ground.

7News spoke to a neighbor:

I’m just disturbed…Did it have to happen? I don’t think so, and is it going to happen again? Am I gonna be talking to you guys in a month, two months? I hope not.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of W Chestnut Street, and a crosswalk at the intersection of Ash Street to continue along W Chestnut Street, but not to cross W Chestnut. There is a painted shoulder but no sidewalk on the side of the street the woman was struck and killed. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 30mph and 35mph in the database.

Joel E. Wacek, age 40, was struck and killed by the driver of a car while he was running near his home. 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 road is under local jurisdiction. There is one travel lane in each direction and no sidewalks. The speed limit is not listed.

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 road is under local jurisdiction. There is one lane and a shoulder in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 40mph and 35mph in the database.

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 road is under local jurisdiction.There is one lane and a shoulder in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear, with fields showing 35mph and 30mph in the database.

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 road is under local jurisdiction. Massachusetts Ave has two travel lanes in each direction with an additional left turning lane at the intersection of Harrison Ave. There is a bike lane and a parking lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides. Harrison Ave has one travel lane and a parking lane in each direction.  There is a sidewalk on both sides. There are crosswalks for all four legs of the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph.

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

Last July, a pedestrian was struck and killed less than a mile away on Providence Highway/Rt1 at Elm Street.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under MassDOT jurisdiction. There are three travel lanes in each direction with a median. There is a sidewalk on each side of the roadway. There is a signal near this location, with crosswalks for 3 of the 4 legs of the intersection. The speed limit is 45mph.

NBC10Boston reported that a pedestrian was critically injured after a driver struck them on Sunday night at the intersection of Blossom and Cambridge Streets. The Beacon Hill Times reported that the person struck was a West End resident who succumbed to his injuries at an area hospital. The driver fled the scene.

The City of Boston is currently holding outdoor in-person “pop-up” sessions this summer to view project materials, share comments, and ask questions about the redesign of Cambridge Street. They hope to share a near-term concept design soon. Learn more on the project website.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction on Cambridge Street. There is a left turn lane on Cambridge Street onto Blossom Street. There are sidewalks on both sides of each street. There are crosswalks for all four legs of the intersection. The speed limit is 25mph.

Boston25News reported that a driver of a dark colored Audi Sedan hit a 62-year-old man and drove away from the scene; the person who was struck later died.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, this road is under local jurisdiction. There are two travel lanes in each direction. There are sidewalks on both sides of each street. The speed limit is 30mph.