New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
At about 5:53 p.m. Sunday evening, Massachusetts State Troopers from the Weston Barracks responded to a crash on Route 90 westbound, near the North Street Overpass, at mile marker 102.5 in Upton. The crash resulted in the death of a girl who had exited a motor vehicle that had pulled into a breakdown lane.
Preliminary investigation by Trooper Charles Dance indicates that two vehicles were traveling together to New York state: a 2011 Toyota Camry and a 1999 Jeep Wrangler, both with New York registrations. The Camry was being operated by a 33-year-old man from New Carrollton, Maryland. The Jeep was being operated by a man from Putnam Valley, N.Y., whose age is not immediately available.
The Jeep became disabled with an apparent flat tire and both vehicles pulled out of the travel lanes to their left, stopping in the left hand breakdown lane, according to the preliminary investigation. The Toyota was ahead of the Jeep with a short distance between them.
The driver of the Camry exited his car and walked back to the Jeep to help change the flat tire. The man’s 10-year-old daughter, also from New Carrollton, Maryland, got out of the Camry and stood by the rear of that vehicle.
Meanwhile, a 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility vehicle was also traveling westbound on Route 90, the Massachusetts Turnpike. The Tahoe, which was pulling a trailer holding a motorcycle, was traveling in the leftmost travel lane. The Tahoe was being operated by a 41-year-old Conway, N.H., man and had as a passenger a 44-year-old woman from Freedom, N.H.
According to the preliminary investigation, as the Tahoe approached the stretch of road where the two vehicles were stopped off to the left in the breakdown lane, the traffic was slowing in front of the Tahoe. As a vehicle in front of the Tahoe decelerated, the Tahoe swerved to the left to avoid colliding with the vehicle ahead.
The Tahoe swerved into the left-hand breakdown lane between the stopped Jeep and the stopped Camry. The Tahoe’s operator then apparently noticed the Camry in directly front of him but could not avoid a collision. The Tahoe caused severe injuries to the 10-year-girl who was standing behind the Camry.
The girl was rushed to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, where she was pronounced deceased.
Other occupants of the Camry included a one-year-old girl, who was in the car at the time of the crash. The infant had no obvious injuries but was also transported to the hospital for precautionary examination.
The crash remains under investigation by Troop E of the Massachusetts State Police, the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Detective Unit for Worcester County. The ongoing investigation includes interviews of involved motorists and witnesses and reconstruction of the crash through analysis of physical evidence. State Police were assisted on-scene by Westborough Fire and EMS.
