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Last Friday in Mansfield, Massachusetts, a female pedestrian was hit and killed by a high-speed Amtrak Acela train. Police have not publicly identified the train accident victim by name, but she was reportedly a 55-year-old Mansfield woman.

The train was traveling from Boston to New York City to Washington, DC when the accident occurred at around 3:40pm, shutting the track down for close to 40 minutes. After that, trains were permitted to use the track at reduced speeds, but the train accident did cause delays during the Friday afternoon commute.

The train accident occurred on Track 1, where riders wait to board the trains. However, it is illegal to be on the tracks and several warning signs are posted. The nature of the accident was unknown as of Saturday; however the Massachusetts Transit Police is leading an investigation of the accident.

Police seek clues in train fatality, The Sun Chronicle, November 9, 2008
Person killed by train in Mansfield, Boston Herald, November 8, 2008 Continue reading

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According to a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts has as many as 600 sleep-related crashes per year, resulting in serious injuries and, in some cases, fatalities. The state of Massachusetts began investigating the effects of drowsy driving after a motorcyclist was killed by a sleep-deprived driver in 2002.

A panel chaired by Senator Richard T. Moore, of Uxbridge, is considering the possibility of laws to increase penalties for sleep-deprived drivers who cause car accidents and to educate drivers about the dangers of driving while drowsy. Response times are slowed in sleep-deprived drivers, and they are more likely to become distracted, according to a sleep specialist who teaches at Harvard Medical School.

A professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital told the panel that in addition to truck driver, police officers and firefighters are at risk of driving while sleep-deprived. In fact, he estimated that 40% of the motor vehicle accidents that involve police officers may be the result of drowsy driving.

Currently, it is difficult to test for drowsy driving, but technology is under development that would allow officers to test for drowsy driving at traffic stops.

Legislative panel sounds wake-up call on drowsy driving, Boston Globe, November 7, 2008 Continue reading

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Last week in Attleboro, Massachusetts, an early morning truck accident forced officials to close Interstate 95. The crash occurred around 4:45am when a 1997 Volvo hit a concrete barrier and swerved across all traffic lanes, colliding with the driver’s side of a tractor-trailer.

Michael Cowan, 37, of Northbridge was driving the fuel-filled rig, which began to leak the fuel it was transporting. It is estimated about a third of the 11,000 gallons in the truck’s tanker leaked onto the road, and all four lanes were closed.

It took until early afternoon for fire and environmental crews to off-load the spilled fuel and right the truck. Fourteen area homes were evacuated because of the fuel leak. All four lanes of traffic were reopened by 3:30pm.

Cowan and two other crash victims were transported to Rhode Island Hospital and treated for minor injuries. State police Massachusetts and Rhode Island are investigating the interstate accident along with the state fire marshal, the state Department of Environmental Protection, the North Attleboro and T.F. Green Airport fire departments, and the state fire marshal.

Northbridge trucker in wreck that closes I-95, Worcester Telegram, November 6, 2008 Continue reading

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Investigators have concluded the investigation into a truck rollover off Western Avenue in Essex, Massachusetts. As a result of the truck accident, a man was sent to Massachusetts General Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The accident occurred in October when John Larry Ayers, 59, was delivering stone to Fisher Corp. Ayers is a driver with Bentley Warren in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and the truck rolled over while he was dumping the stone. Firefighters had to extract Ayer from the truck’s cab using the Jaws of Life. The accident victim was then flown by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital and released after a medical evaluation.

Conducted by Essex police, the Massachusetts State Police truck team, the Massachusetts State Police accident reconstruction team, and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the investigation concluded that the truck accident was the result of operator error. No charged were files, and the case is now closed.

Driver error blamed for truck accident, Gloucester Times, November 4, 2008 Continue reading

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In Salem, Massachusetts, a car driven by a 76-year-old Peabody man was struck by a commuter train in a Massachusetts tunnel during the evening rush hour on Monday. Officials say the driver was able to walk and talk to investigators after the commuter rail accident, but the man later died. It is unclear whether injuries resulting from the crash played a role in his death. His name has not been released to the public.

Witnesses to the commuter rail collision say that the man was driving along the ground-level platform at the Salem station before driving about 300 feet into the tunnel. The driver of the northbound commuter train braked when he saw the headlights of the car, but it was too late.

No injuries were reported by passengers of the commuter rail train.

Driver dies after collision with MA commuter train, Boston Globe, November 3, 2008
Car driven by 76-year-old driver strikes Mass. commuter train in rail tunnel; man later dies, Newsday, November 3, 2008 Continue reading

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According to the Massachusetts’ Registry of Motor Vehicles, the number of registered motorcyclists increased by 12 percent in 2006 (the most recent year for which data is available). A state Department of Public Health report for 2006 released earlier this year states that 55 motorcyclists died in Massachusetts as the result of injuries suffered during a motorcycle accident.

In response to the increasing popularity of motorcycles in Massachusetts, the Rockport Ambulance Association is sponsoring an all-day training session on motorcycle safety. The November 16 course is free to the public and open to all Cape Ann residents. Emergency personnel who choose to complete the course will receive continuing education credits upon payment of $55.

The goal of this course is to reduce motorcyclist accident fatalities and the severity of injuries by teaching proper actions and reactions. Participants will learn how to secure a crash scene, how to assess the emergency medical safety factors, and how motorcyclists can protect themselves legally and financially. The course will also discuss injuries that are commonly associated with motorcycle accidents. Call 978-546-9589 to register for the “Crash Course for the Motorcyclist.”

Rise in riders prompts ‘crash course for motorcyclists’ in Rockport, Gloucester Times, October 31, 2008 Continue reading

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Officials are Lowell, Massachusetts are concerned about the number of traffic accidents at Lowell intersections and are looking for ways to fix the problem.

The Massachusetts Highway Department’s 2008 study of car accidents in Massachusetts found that Lowell has the number one and number three intersections with the most car crashes. It also has two more intersections that were listed in the top 20 and 10 that were listed in the top 200.

Between 2004 and 2006, Lowell had 1,1133 car accidents at its 14 most dangerous intersections, resulting in 328 injuries and three deaths. Lowell is the fourth largest city in Massachusetts with 100,000 people, so the volume of traffic it handles is another concern.

Over the next four years, MassHighway plans to spend $42 million on projects that will improve Lowell intersections. These projects include creating a pedestrian bridge over Thorndike Street, improving traffic signals, and bettering or replacing bridges. In addition, the Lowell police are ticketing drivers who rush into intersections and block oncoming traffic and setting up sobriety checkpoints in an effort to make sure that drivers to follow the law.

Lowell looks to put brakes on traffic accidents, Boston Globe, October 30, 2008 Continue reading

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Drivers in Lancaster, Massachusetts had an unusual encounter on their afternoon commute last Wednesday. Apparently an injured 200-pound animal was found by the side of Route 2 in Lancaster. Police believe the wild boar was hit by a car. The state trooper who discovered the wounded animal called for reinforcements.

Because the animal was badly injured and could potentially cause a car accident if it wandered into traffic, authorities decided to redirect traffic and put the boar out of its misery. The Boston Globe reports that Chet Hall, a farmer in Royalston, labeled the animal a Russian wild boar based on its rodent-like snout and cinnamon-colored collar. Hall had arrived to claim the animal’s remains for use as coyote bait.

According to a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, wild boars are not usually found in Massachusetts and would require a special permit. The animal was believed to have escaped from a game farm.

Wild boar struck on Route 2 causes a stir, Boston Globe, October 24, 2008 Continue reading

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A Wareham, Massachusetts teen was struck by a train and seriously injured on Friday afternoon, according to police. The teen’s identify has not been released to the press, but police say he was walking along the railroad tracks near Main Avenue when a train operated by the Massachusetts Coastal Railroad came up behind him.

The train engineer blew the horn, and the Wareham teen did not react, because he was wearing headphones. The engineer used the emergency brakes and blasted the whistle, but the teen still did not respond. The train hit the teen in the back before the teen disappeared under the train. With only one foot of clearance between the bottom of the train and the ground, the boy stayed underneath the train as it passed over him.

Wareham police and rescue workers and the Onset Fire Department responded to the train accident at 4:20pm. The accident victim was still lying on the railroad tracks. He was treated at the scene of the railroad accident and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. His condition was unknown and injuries were unspecified.

Teen struck by train in Wareham, Cape Cod Times, October 25, 2008 Continue reading

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In Whitman, Massachusetts last week, rescue crews rushed to the scene of a two-car accident reported on West Street at Washington Street. One car had flipped onto its roof, making it difficult for firefighters to enter the vehicle and transport its driver to the hospital.

Fortunately, a firefighter/paramedic was able to aid the driver through the driver’s side window, while other firefighters worked to cut off the rear passenger door. The car accident victim was safely removed through the rear door of the car, given medical treatment in Whitman Ambulance-1, and taken to the Brockton Hospital.

The intersection where the motor vehicle accident occurred has a two-way stop sign and has long been considered a dangerous intersection for drivers.

Massachusetts Crews Free Trapped Victim, Firehouse.com, October 20, 2008 Continue reading

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