Tag: Weymouth

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, September 2023

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, September 2023

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

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in August; six were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in September 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 September in the MassDOT Crash portal, 4 were identified as people walking.
  • The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in September was 40.25.

Date9/1/2023, 7:59 PM
LocationWorthington St. + Bowdoin St.
TownSpringfield
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age25
SexM

WWLP reports an unidentified 25-year old man was struck and killed by a driver on Worthington Street in Springfield.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Worthington Street and Bowdoin Street are both under local jurisdiction. Each is a two-way street with one lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides. Bowdoin Street has stop signs at the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph. Google Streetview images are from 2019, but shows curb ramps and faded crosswalks to walk across Bowdoin Street; there are no crosswalks or curb ramps across Worthington Street at this intersection. (A police spokesperson said the person was not in a crosswalk without sharing this important detail.)


Date9/17/2023, 7:53 PM
Location391 Hancock St.
TownSpringfield
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age42
SexF

WWLP reports that an unidentified 42-year old woman was killed after two drivers struck her on Hancock Street in Springfield. One of the drivers remained at the crash, but the driver of the other car left the scene.

Western Mass News spoke to John Vivenzio, who lives nearby:

Vivenzio lives steps away from the area where the woman was struck by the cars on Sunday. He told us he is now worried about possible safety issues for other pedestrians and even those driving down Hancock Street.

“That light wasn’t on. I don’t remember the last time that light was ever on, so it was dark that way and with these lights that do come on, it’s not that bright as it is,” Vivenzio added. “People speed around here all the time. I mean, I’m out here, even during the day, and I’ll start whistling ‘Slow down!’ We’ve had dogs killed out here and stuff. You know, it’s crazy for speeding. People just don’t do it and I don’t know what we can do to stop it ‘cause it just keeps happening.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Hancock Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with one lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; the corner of Hancock and Florence St (302 Hancock Street) has a “School Speed Limit 20mph, 7am to 3pm” sign posted.


Date9/27/2023, 9:51 PM
LocationSR-132 (1800 Iyannough Rd.)
TownBarnstable / Hyannis
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age54
SexF

CapeCod.com reports an unidentified 54-year old Hyannis resident was struck and killed by the driver of a blue Saturn Vue SUV on Route 132 near the intersection with Shootflying Hill Rd.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, SR-132 (Iyannough Rd) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with two lanes in each direction and no sidewalks on either side. The speed limit is 45mph. There are no crosswalks to cross Iyannough Rd at the intersection of Shootflying Hill Rd.


Date9/29/2023, 5:10 AM
LocationUS-3 SOUTH, EXIT 38B
TownWeymouth
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age40
SexM

The Boston Globe reports a 40-year old man was struck and killed in a three-car crash on Route 3 South. (A person driving is classified as a pedestrian when they exit their vehicle. Since this is listed in the data as a pedestrian crash, a driver may have gotten out of their vehicle if it was broken down on the roadway.)

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, US-3 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with three travel lanes and shoulders in each direction. The speed limit is 60mph.


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, September 2021

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, September 2021

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.

Date9/4/2021, 11:43 PM
Location463 State St.
TownSpringfield
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age62
SexM

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.


Date9/10/2021, 11:35 PM
Location201 Grand Ave.
TownFalmouth
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age81
SexM

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.


Date9/12/2021, 7:42 PM
LocationMechanic St.
TownWestfield
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age72
SexM

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.


Date9/18/2021, 12:00 AM
Location1365 Main St.
TownSpringfield
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age60
SexM

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.


Date9/20/2021, 4:03 PM
Location1281 Washington St. (SR-53)
TownWeymouth
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age68
SexM

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.


Date9/23/2021, 9:58 PM
Location308 Lynn Fellsway
TownSaugus
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age47
SexM

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.


Date9/25/2021, 5:04 AM
LocationSR-6 EAST, MM 79
TownHarwich
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age68
SexM

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

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.

Date7/3/2021, 6:56 AM
LocationWeld St.
TownWest Roxbury
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age63
SexF

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.


Date7/10/2021, 11:52 AM
Location80 Bellingham St.
TownChelsea
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age1
SexM

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.”


Date7/13/2021, 8:54 AM
LocationWilbraham Rd. + Massachusetts Ave.
TownSpringfield
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age65
SexF

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 (summaryfull 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.


Date7/17/2021, 2:45 AM
Location187 Pleasant St. Ralph Talbot St.
TownWeymouth
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age61
SexF

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.”


Date7/27/2021, 5:58 PM
Location832 East St.
TownWalpole
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age81
SexF

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.


Date7/27/2021, 11:52 PM
Location947 Providence Hwy. + Elm St.
TownDedham
TypePEDESTRIAN
Age49
SexM

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).

Weymouth: Making Safe Routes for Seniors

Weymouth: Making Safe Routes for Seniors

by Nicholas Bulens, Grant Writer & Researcher, Town of Weymouth

In the summer of 2014, WalkBoston partnered with the Town of Weymouth to open a conversation between municipal staff and older adults about creating a safer, more attractive walking environment. The Safe Routes for Seniors initiative was a true convergence of advocacy and policy, resulting in a set of design guidelines and program alternatives to better coordinate the town’s
capital planning process with greater walkability. The initiative has helped springboard Weymouth toward a healthier approach to community design.

Weymouth is a mature suburban community situated about 12 miles southeast of Boston. The town has a strong residential character with many attributes of a walkable environment. Weymouth has four village centers, each featuring a mix of land uses that helps create a sense of place for residents. It also has a diverse open space network interspersed among many settled neighborhoods. There is also a good mix of transit services, including commuter rail and bus, which help connect Weymouth’s people and places. However, in spite of these attributes, the town has grown increasingly dependent on the automobile for transportation in the last 50 years. Simultaneously, Weymouth’s population has aged and diversified to where almost one in every four residents is over age 60.

Recognizing a need to analyze the built environment from a healthy aging perspective, Weymouth received a grant from the Massachusetts Council on Aging, in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health [MDPH], to conduct a senior pedestrian safety study. Municipal staff collected data on Weymouth’s housing, land use and pedestrian crashes. The data led the town to identify four areas of need where seniors could most benefit from improved walking conditions.

WalkBoston facilitated a public meeting between municipal staff and an audience of over 30 older adults. Residents raised important concerns about poorly maintained sidewalks, obstructed lines of sight and distressed crosswalks. WalkBoston then hit the streets with a diverse focus group of municipal staff, senior residents and local businesspeople. A wealth of observations were made, and ideas flowed freely between stakeholders.

Weymouth’s walkability investigation culminated in the publication of the Safe Routes for Seniors Design Guidelines and Planning Report. WalkBoston introduced municipal staff to new and innovative approaches to streetscape improvements, including “lighter quicker cheaper” placemaking, which could facilitate safer, more frequent foot traffic by older adults in the town’s target areas. Weymouth’s planning staff prepared the final report to summarize the initiative’s findings and recommend design guidelines for town planning moving forward.

The Safe Routes for Seniors initiative has already led Weymouth to take a number of steps toward enhancing walkability. For 2015, Weymouth’s Mayor Susan Kay has committed $150,000 to sidewalk improvements and indicated that she will budget up to $250,000 for the same purpose each year thereafter. Plans are also under way by municipal staff to develop a Complete Streets policy and apply for certification under the MassDOT’s new Complete Streets program. In addition, the town has received a technical assistance grant from the MDPH to develop a zoning action plan with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission [PVPC], a leader in the movement to design healthier communities. The PVPC will advise Weymouth on how to facilitate healthy eating and more physical activity in the community through changes to local zoning provisions, such as reduced parking requirements and site plan review.

This article was featured in our Summer 2015 newsletter. See the full newsletter & past editions here.

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