At 2:28 AM Saturday Troopers assigned to the State Police-Dartmouth Barracks responded to a report of a car into the woods next to the off ramp from Route 140 northbound to Braley Road (Exit 7), New Bedford. New Bedford Fire and EMS also responded.
First responders located a 2019 Kia Optima sedan with a Massachusetts registration that had crashed off the ramp, struck a metal post, and then hit a tree partially into the woods. Three bystanders were providing medial aid to the victim, a 19-year-old New Bedford man went to St Luke’s Hospital with serious injuries. Evidence indicates the victim had been ejected in the crash. The victim was pronounced deceased later in the morning at the hospital.
The facts and circumstances of the crash, including whether another vehicle was involved in the crash and fled the scene, remains active. That investigation is being conducted by Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Detective Unit for Bristol County.
The victim’s name is not being released at this time.