Friday, July 30, 2010

Mass. Woman Dies in Rollover Crash

A Massachusetts woman died in a rollover accident late last night. Speeding and alcohol may be the factors behind the crash.

Police said that the woman's car, a 1997 GMC, rolled over just before midnight on Route 25C, between Barton Road and Route 10 in Piermont, Massachusetts.

The driver, Megan Foley, 26, of West Hyannisport, was driving on Rt-25C East when the vehicle went off the road, and then came back on, then flipped over and crashed in the northbound lane. She was alone in the vehicle.

Foley sustained fatal injuries and was transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon where she was later pronounced dead.

News Sources: Union Leader.

Man Killed and Little Girl Injured in NH Crash

A man was killed and a small child was injured in an SUV crash in Somersworth, New Hampshire on Thursday.


The driver, Lance Doran of Dover, NH, died almost instantly when the 2004 Jeep Liberty, which was speeding through the intersection of Washington Street and Constitutional Way crashed into the American Legion building and caught fire.

Doran was pronounced dead at the scene.

His 4-year old granddaughter was in the back seat, and was pulled from the Jeep by witnesses. It was reported that the little girl suffered minor injuries.

The building sustained heavy damage when the SUV slammed into it with such force that it wound up halfway inside. News reports noted that the American Legion Hall was nearly knocked off its foundation.

Some witnesses saw the vehicle speeding down Green Street and going through stop signs and intersections before crashing into the cinderblock wall.

Luckily, even though a few people were inside the building at the time, they were on the opposite side of the building, so no one got injured.

Police are still investigating the cause of the accident, and if something happened to Doran to cause him to speed at 100 mph and crash into the building.

News Sources: WHDH, WCSH6.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Truck Rollover Accident in Dorcester

A truck lost its load on the I-93 expressway near the Dorchester Yacht Club on Tuesday causing a mess on the road and Boston traffic delays.


The accident happened at about 6:30 on Tuesday morning at the Dorchester Yacht Club curve on the southbound side of the highway scattering dirt on the road, news reports said.

It wasn't clear if the driver of the truck was injured, and to what extent.

News Sources: WHDH, Boston Globe.

1 Woman Killed, 1 Injured in I-495 Crash

Last Friday was a bad news day in Massachusetts when it comes to fatal motor vehicle accidents.

The rainstorm which poured over parts of Massachusetts of Friday may have been a factor in the single-vehicle crash which killed a prominent Massachusetts lawyer, as well as in the accident that happened in Middleboro earlier that day.

Another fatal car crash occurred only hours earlier, at 5:20 pm on I-495, just north of Exit 3 in Middleboro.


One of the two Mass. drivers involved in the crash was killed. Marvis Gordon, 74, of Sharon  sustained fatal injuries, while the other driver, Emily K. Grilli, 19, of Walpole was seriously injured.

Police said Gordon, traveling in a Subaru Forester on I-495 North, swerved over the median and struck Grilli in the left front part of her vehicle, a 2007 Saturn Ion which was travelling in the southbound lane of the highway.

The Subaru rolled over in the crash, landing in the southbound breakdown lane, while Grilli's Saturn stopped in the left lane.

Gordon was pronounced dead at the Tobey Hospital in Wareham. Grilli was taken to Morton Hospital in Taunton with serious injuries, news reports said.

The accident is under state police investigation. It is believed that the inclement weather had something to do with the fatal accident.

News Sources: South Coast Today, Boston Herald, Boston Globe.

Prominent Mass Lawyer Killed in Crash

A single-car crash on Friday night resulted in the death of a prominent Massachusetts maritime lawyer, Norman A. Peloquin II.

Peloquin died following the accident near his Smith Neck Road home during the rainstorm in which his car struck a tree. News reports said that Peloquin's white Mercedes Benz hit into a tree near 674 Smith Neck Road in Dartmouth.


Police are investigating the crash, which damaged the car so severely that emergency workers could not immediately free Peloquin. A nurse had to crawl inside the wreck to perform CPR on Peloquin while rescue crews used the "Jaws of Life" hydraulic tool to extricate him from the car.

Peloquin was then rushed to St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford, where he was pronounced dead.

Norman Peloquin was known as one of the foremost experts in admiralty and maritime law. We offer our sincere condolences to his family.

News Sources: Boston Herald, South Coast Today.

Woman Crashes Car Into Plymouth Liquor Store

The Boston Channel reported earlier today that a woman crashed her car into a liquor store in Plymouth, Massachusetts causing substantial damage to the building. She was reportedly parked in a handicapped spot in Luke’s Liquors parking lot. 


Police said that the woman drove her vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, into the liquor store at 736 State Road in Plymouth this morning around 8:30 am. Apparently, she had the car set in reverse when she hit the gas pedal.

The driver damaged the building as the Toyota went through a side wall. It's not known if and how much the driver was injured in the crash. Her name is yet to be released to the public.

The accident is under local police investigation.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Andover DUI Dad Had His 2 Kids in The Car

A heavily intoxicated Massachusetts man who was pulled over and arrested Tuesday in Voluntown, Connecticut had two young children in his car and a cold alcoholic beverage in his cup holder, news reports said.

John Phillip Randazzo, 51, of Andover, was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, failure to drive right and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Police arrested the Randazzo after he was reportedly driving erratically on Route 49 near Babcock Road in North Stonington. Police found his car, a white 2003 Nissan Pathfinder in Voluntown and pulled him over.

Randazzo was highly intoxicated and was slurring his speech, police said. In addition, he failed the field sobriety test, and had a 16-ounce cup of alcohol with ice with him in the car, along with his sons, ages 3 and 6.

The boys were sitting in car seats in the back of the car.

The children were turned over to their mother following their father's arrest. Police also notified the Department of Children and Families.

Randazzo was released on a $1,500 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at Norwich Superior Court on August 5.

News Sources: The Day, Norwich Bulletin.

Ambulance Collides with Car in Hyannis

An ambulance collided with a car on Route 28 in Hyannis on Monday, causing minor injuries to the car driver, Cape Cod Online reported.

The Centerville-Osterville-Marstons Mills ambulance was travelling on Route 28 when the car came in its way. Police said the car pulled out in front of the ambulance from Hinckley Road.



Both vehicles sustained heavy damage in the crash, and had to be towed from the accident scene.

Fortunately, no one got seriously hurt. Only the car driver suffered minor injuries and was treated by emergency workers who arrived at the scene. The driver reportedly refused to be taken to a hospital.

The cause of the accident is yet to be determined.

News Sources: Cape Code Online.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Methuen Teen in Lawrence Car Chase Accident

A high-speed police chase of a stolen car involving a 17-year-old teenager from Methuen, ended in a car accident in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in which the driver and two passengers fled the scene.

The whole incident started in Methuen at 1:50 am on Sunday, when Methuen police officer Neil Quinlan noticed a green 1997 Honda Accord on Pelham Street heading east toward Broadway.



According to news reports, Quinlan checked the car's license plate number and after finding out that it was stolen, he tried to make the driver pull over. Instead, the driver sped away down Broadway going toward Lawrence.


Reportedly, the stolen car was going at 70-80 mph.

It tried to slow down at the intersection with Bradford Street, and make a left onto the one-way street (in the wrong direction).



The attempt failed as the car struck a parked vehicle and came to a halt.

At that moment, the driver and two passengers ran away from the car.

One person remained in the vehicle, Edgar Cuevas, 17 of Methuen, and was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property.

Police said he was not cooperating and has not been forthcoming with details about his accomplices.

The incident remains under police investigation.

News Sources: The Eagle Tribune.

Another Mass. Trooper Struck by Drunk Driver

Another Massachusetts police trooper got struck by an alleged drunk driver.

This is the 6th accident in the last 6 weeks involving a trooper hit by an accused drunken driver.

This time, the driver ran over state police trooper Paul Gifford’s foot while he was working a traffic detail in the North End on Saturday night/early Sunday morning.

The incident occurred on Sunday around 12:45 am close to the intersection of Acushnet Avenue and Holly Street in New Bedford, MA.


The trooper suffered right leg injuries as he was struck by a speeding car while he was outside his cruiser. Another police officer pulled him back to the curb to save him from the car, or he would have suffered even greater injuries, even possible death.

Gifford recovered from his injuries and returned to duty. He soon arrested the driver, Rogerio Mendonca, 29, of New Bedford, even after his foot was injured.

Mendonca was charged with drunken driving.

Massachusetts State Police spokesman, David Procopio, told the Boston Herald, "We are relieved that Trooper Gifford was not more seriously hurt, but once again, this underscores the dangers all police officers face from passing cars while on duty."

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the number of United States police officers who have died in the line of duty is up 43% so far this year.

The continuous series of crashes involving state troopers this summer has prompted the Massachusetts State Police to launch 1,000 extra patrols under the name of “Operation Lightning”. In addition, the state police will conduct a review of its safety procedures, policies and equipment aimed at decreasing the number of incidents in the future.

In a related note, the news article said that there have been 12 impaired driver arrests in Massachusetts this past weekend alone, as well as 270 citations for traffic violations and 8 criminal summonses for drunk drivers.

News Sources: The Boston Herald, The Boston Channel, The Boston Globe, WHDH, The Patriot Ledger.

Friday, July 23, 2010

4 Injured in Mass/Conn Border Crash

Four people were injured in a serious 2-car accident early this morning on Route 10/Route 202 near the Massachusetts-Connecticut border.

Reports on the accident said that one of the drivers travelling south on Rt-10/Rt-202 from Southwick, MAlost control over the vehicle while exiting a slight curve and crashed into an oncoming car traveling in the opposite direction. The crash occurred around 12:30 am.

According to the authorities, Gian M. Fuschi, 21, of Granby, CT, a passenger in the vehicle driven by Stephen Beck, 20, of Bloomfield, CT, was seriously injured in the crash. Fuschi was flown by a LifeStar helicopter to Hartford Hospital.

Beck was also injured in the crash, and was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford. His condition was listed today as stable.

The other driver also suffered injuries. Paul Muise, 55, of Huntington, MA, was flown to Bay State Medical Center. His passenger Maureen Muise, 55, was transported by ambulance to Bay State.

Their conditions are not immediately available.

News Sources: MassLive, WTNH.

Car Chase Ends in Multiple-Car Crash

A crime which began in North Kingstown on Tuesday morning led to a police car chase through two towns, and resulted in a multi-car accident in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

In the end, two Massachusetts men were arrested on felony charges.

According to news reports, Robert J. Page, 47, of Westport, and Isaac A. Tripp, 45, of Fall River, were arrested on felony charges of receiving stolen goods. Page was additionally charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon (the car) and eluding a police officer.

North Kingston police were called to a Camp Avenue residence to investigate reports of a possible break-in and a suspicious vehicle parked outside the house. By the time police arrived, the two alleged burglars had fled the scene.

Police began the search for the suspected vehicle, and once it was spotted in South Kingstown, an officer flagged it down to stop it. Page, who was driving the car, instead led the police on a high speed chase.

To stop it from going in the wrong direction on a road, the struck the burglars’ car on the rear left corner. They still attempted to get away, and in the process struck a police cruiser and a South Kingstown Emergency Services vehicle.

No one was hurt in the accident, police said.

The two arrested men will also be questioned about the jewelry theft of jewelry from the North Kingstown house, since it was found in their vehicle, and identified by the house owner as hers.

One of the men also had an outstanding arrest warrant from Massachusetts.

News Sources: South County Independent, Projo.com.

NH Woman Killed in I-95 Crash Identified

The 37-year-old woman who died in the rollover crash on Interstate 95 and sent another, 18-year-old woman to the hospital with serious injuries on Wednesday was identified as Renee Sublette, 37, of Dover, New Hampshire.

New details about the accident have emerged. It has been reported that the two women were travelling on I-95 North in a 2005 Hyundai Accent, driven by Shannon Jaques, 18, also from Dover, NH.

The fatal accident occurred when a 2010 Kia Soul, driven by Stevenson Picard, 30, of Malden, moved into the left travel lane in the path of the Hyundai. Jaques lost control after swerving to avoid the Kia and her car rolled over and went into the median line.

Sublette, the passenger in the Hyundai, was ejected from the car - she was not wearing a seatbelt. Jaques, who was wearing one, was injured and was taken to Anna Jacques hospital in Newburyport for treatment of serious injuries, but has since been discharged.

The Kia driver was not injured in the crash.

The accident is still under Massachusetts state police investigation.

News Sources: Newburyport News, Fosters.com.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Duck Boats in Recent Crashes

Last week we saw two duck-boat-related crashes (on land) in Boston. Actually, the two accidents happened within four days – the second of which caused 6 injuries in five adults and one child.

We mentioned the first accident on this blog – three vehicles were involved - a Duck boat named “Old Gloria”, a pickup truck and a Zipcar carrying a bride to her wedding - but luckily no one got hurt.


The second accident, which happened last Friday, involved multiple vehicles and caused injuries.

According to news reports about the event, the duck boat "Dorchester Dottie" crashed into with several cars at Charles Circle. At least seven vehicles were involved in the crash.


Allegedly, the boat was unable to stop – the brakes didn’t fail, Boston Duck Tours officials said, but there was something lodged behind the brake pedal.

A woman in one of the struck cars, Marjorie Ross of Springfield, said that when she looked in the rear-view mirror, “all I saw were polka dots coming toward me."

Even though many people were injured in the collision, no one suffered serious injuries.

Another duck boat was involved in a fatal crash with a barge in Philadelphia only a week before that, which killed two people.

Clearly, these recent duck boat accidents point out to a need for more driver attention, and we hope that the unfortunate deaths and injuries will keep duck boat operators on their toes so there will be no more duck boat crashes this summer.

News Sources: CNN, Boston GlobeBostonist.

Tanker Spills 4,500 Gallons of Oil in Methuen

A truck accident occurred in Methuen yesterday afternoon resulting in a big oil mess. Apparently, a tanker truck taking a turn onto Route 28 flipped on its side and spilled approximately 4,500 gallons of heating oil.


The truck driver, Louis Fejes, 31, of Georgetown was not injured when the tanker, a 2009 Mack owned by the Lawrence-based gas station chain Haffner's flipped on its side.

The accident is still under investigation, and Fejes is facing possible citations.

His mistake for taking a turn too fast resulted in a massive oil cleanup on Route 28 just south of the bridge that crosses Route 213 (near the wetlands) - efforts that lasted all afternoon and well into the night, causing hours of delays and traffic problems.

The accident got responders from local Methuen police, state police, fire department, Department of Public Works (DPW), the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the state Department of Transportation (DOT), and private contractors.

The oil that was spilled was a No. 2 heating oil, and it may pose additional work for DOT workers. Namely, the DOT crews recently finished paving streets in the area, but now there are fears that the spilled oil will disintegrate the pavement.

Also, the oil, some of which drained into a catch basin, poses another danger, since the basin drains into a nearby wetland and may reach the Spicket River - a contributory to the Merrimack River, which is a source of drinking water.

So far, efforts have been made to keep the oil from reaching the wetlands. All the cleanup and preventive measures will be paid by Haffner's, Rick Pelletier, the company service manager said.

News Source: The Eagle Tribune

1 Killed, 1 Injured in I-95 Crash

A 37-year-old woman was killed in a tragic car rollover accident on I-95 in Newbury yesterday morning, while a second woman, an 18-year-old driver, was seriously injured.

According to a statement from State Police, the 18-year-old woman and her 37-year-old passenger were traveling on I-95 North in the far left lane when a second car, driven by Stevenson Picard, 30, of Malden tried to move into the same lane.

The 18-year-old driver lost control of the first car, which rolled over into the median strip, ejecting the 37-year-old passenger. She was fatally injured in the crash and was pronounced dead at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport shortly after the crash.

Picard was not injured in the collision.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

News Source: The Boston Globe.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Rockland Man Killed in Sunday Crash in Norwell

This past weekend has been especially deadly for drivers in Massachusetts - four people, all in their 20s, were killed in separate motor vehicle accidents on Saturday.

This time we are reporting on the death of a Rockland man who was killed in a Norwell car crash a few hours later, in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 18.

The victim – a 21-year-old man, a passenger of a drunken driver.

According to news reports covering the fatal crash, Karl Mueller, 21, was found in the passenger seat of a Hyundai Elantra driven by Daniel Heywood, 21, of Hanover who was arrested for drunk driving after the accident.

Mueller was fatally injured in the crash and emergency crews transported him to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, where he was pronounced dead.

Heywood was also injured in the crash, and was transported to a hospital, but first he was arrested at the scene.

Heywood’s charges include:
  • operating under the influence of alcohol (OUI),
  • reckless operation of a motor vehicle,
  • marked lanes violation,
  • speeding,
  • manslaughter by motor vehicle,
  • motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation.
Norwell Police arrived at the scene and found extensive front-end damage to the car, which had hit a tree and was facing south in a northbound lane at the intersection of High Street and Oak Street in Norwell.


Police who talked to Heywood said that the two men were going towards Route 53 on their way to a convenience store, but Heywood allegedly changed his mind, and as he was trying to turn around, Mueller grabbed the wheel.

They had been in Boston earlier (on Saturday night), and were returning to the South Shore. It was not clear if the two men were wearing their seatbelts.

Police said Heywood was arrested since he demonstrated signs of being under the influence of alcohol. If convicted, Heywood could face a prison term of 5 to 20 years for motor vehicle homicide. In addition, he could lose his driver’s license for 15 years.

This tragic accident further emphasizes the importance of abstaining from drinking before driving, since it endangers more lives than one. We are sincerely sorry for the death of such a young person, and we offer our sincerest sympathies to the family of Karl Mueller.

Both Heywood and Mueller attended Hanover High School, and graduated in 2007.

Karl Mueller is remembered as person that always had a smile on his face.

Pickup Truck Rollover Accident in New Bedford

An early morning pickup truck rollover accident that happened in New Bedford, Massachusetts today sent one pickup flying onto its side. Luckily, both drivers escaped serious injuries.

According to a news article in the Boston Examiner, the accident occurred between two equally-sized pickup trucks at the intersection of Nash Road and Church Street.


One of them, a pickup truck towing a small wooden utility trailer, was attempting to make a wide right turn on a red light at the intersection, while the other (the one that rolled over on its side) was traveling straight ahead through a green light on Church Street.

As the right turn turned out to be too wide the two pickup trucks collided, pushing one of them onto its side. The driver of the rolled over truck is an employee of M-V Electrical Contractors of New Bedford.

Both drivers suffered little to no injuries in the collision and refused medical care by the emergency medical services on the scene.

New Bedford Police are currently investigating the crash. We’ll post details about the crash as soon as they become available.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

21-Year-Old Killed in Haverhill Crash

A 21-year-old New Hampshire woman was killed in a truck-car collision in Haverhill, Massachusetts over the weekend, only hours after another fatal Mass. motor vehicle accident left 3 people dead.

According to the police, Kelsey A. Richardson, of Atkinson, NH, may have been texting while driving her 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue in the northbound lane of I-495 just before Exit 51, when she struck a high-speed lane guardrail.

The crash sent her back into the right lane hitting a tractor-trailer. Police said Richardson was ejected from her vehicle and was then struck by a second truck, a 1997 International tractor-trailer driven by Fredrick Botting of Houlton, Maine, killing her on the spot.

Emergency services who arrived at the scene pronounced her dead just after 4:15 am.

Police are trying to determine whether she was wearing a seat belt. In addition, witnesses and preliminary investigation show that Richardson may have been using her cellphone at the time of the crash.

Massachusetts passed a law to ban texting and driving earlier this month. The law, which will take effect in October, also bans driver from e-mailing and searching the Internet. New Hampshire also bans texting while driving as of January this year.

We are sincerely sorry about the death of Kelsey A. Richardson.

She was a spring graduate from Northern Essex Community College with a degree in criminal justice, and was planning to continue her studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the fall.

Friends describe her as a responsible person, and some have expressed their surprise that she was allegedly texting and driving.

The fatal crash remains under investigation.

News Sources: The Boston Herald,
The Boston Globe, The Eagle Tribune.

3 Dead in Worcester Crash

A fatal motor vehicle crash in Worcester, Massachusetts left three people dead over the weekend.

News reports covering the deadly car-truck collision noted that two of the victims, Thomas Serewicz, 23, and Stephen Larson, 25, were heading home in a 1990 GMC Sierra pickup truck after a weekend fishing trip when a driver coming in the opposite direction struck their vehicle head-on.

Police said the car driver, Ashley Hannan, 25 (some reports say she was 23 years old) was driving her SUV, a 2005 Cheverolet Equinox on the wrong side of I-190, causing the fatal crash in which all three died.

The tragedy of this incident is not only that three young lives were lost in one crash, but their families will also suffer in their loss.



Serewicz leaves behind him his wife and his two little boys. His mother, Lynne Serewicz described her son as a loving family man. She said he was a welder who was struggling to find a job

Larson, a Lunenburg man, was an Iraq war veteran who served from 2005 to 2006 with the Army Reserve’s 220th Transportation Company based out of Keene, NH.

Ashley Hannan's father said she was a “real sweetheart." Hannan was working as a personal trainer, and was involved in body training and fitness competitions across the US.

Police are waiting for toxicology lab results to determine the cause of the accident. Speeding may also be a contributing factor.

We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of Thomas Serewicz, Stephen Larson, and Ashley Hannan in their painful hour.

 
News Sources: Boston Globe, Boston HeraldNECN, Telegram.com.

Cement Piece Falls on Car

Boston drivers should look in all direction when operating in the city, and especially on the bridges connecting the city with Cambridge. Looking left, right, straight and back are not enough any more. Glancing up is the next step - you never know - concrete blocks may be falling from the sky.

A 3-pound piece of cement fell from a Green Line viaduct on Nashua Street by the Science Park station in Boston yesterday, hitting a car below and shattering its rear window.


Luckily, the driver of the car was not injured in the crash.

Officials from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and state police said that the object which damaged the 2010 Toyota Camry driven by an Acton man was a piece of concrete.

MBTA engineers later inspected the viaduct and deemed it structurally sound for continuing traffic.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Another Mass State Trooper Hit by Drunk Driver

Another Massachusetts state trooper was struck and injured in a drunk driving incident that occurred over the weekend - the fifth incident in the last five weeks.

The most recent accident involving an allegedly drunk driver happened early on Saturday morning (around 2:30 am) on Route 24.

Police said the victim, Trooper Corey Rose, 33, was working an overtime drunk driving detail on Route 24 in Taunton on the night of the accident.

He had pulled over Fatima Baptista, 22, of Brockton and was writing her a ticket inside his car in the breakdown lane, when he was struck from behind by another vehicle, trapping him inside the car.

The crash badly damaged his car, but Trooper Rose sustained only minor injuries and managed to crawl out the passenger side. He and Baptista were transported to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

The driver of the other car, Matthew Charette, 24, of Bridgewater was also injured in the crash.

He was arrested for drunk driving, and was scheduled to be arraigned in Taunton District Court today on charges of operating under the influence, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and failure to move over for an emergency vehicle.

This is the fifth accident in the last 5 weeks in which a state trooper was struck while working a detail. One of them, Sgt. Doug Weddleton, lost his life when he got struck by two vehicles while on duty.

In light of these accidents, we urge all drivers to think twice before going on the road after consuming alcohol. It is not only your life that you are endangering, but also the lives of people whose job is to protect you.

News Source: NECN.com

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Boston Duck Boat in a 3-Vehicle Crash


Three vehicles, one of them a duck boat, were involved in a 3-vehicle crash this afternoon in downtown Boston, the Boston Globe reported.

Luckily, no one was injured in the traffic incident. According to the authorities, the crash, which involved a truck, a car, and the duck boat occurred in front of 55 Court Street.



Police say it was not immediately clear if any of the drivers would be cited for traffic violations.

Some duck boat passengers reported that the car driver cut the duck boat off while it was on Court Street, Cindy Brown, general manager for the Boston Duck Tours company, said. The said in comment cards that it was not the duck boat operator's fault, she said.

Although it is not known exactly how many people were on the duck boat, Brown said it was "relatively full" at the time of the accident. Duck boats usually hold a maximum of 32 passengers.

Since no one was hurt, the duck tour continued after Boston police checked out the duck boat and allowed it to leave.

Still, to be on the safe side, before the duck boat took switched from land to water, the company transferred the passengers to a spare duck boat before it dipped into the Charles River for that portion of the tour.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Driver in a Fatal Newton Crash Had License Previously Revoked for OUI

A 21-year-old driver that was involved in a fatal vehicle accident in Newton on June 26th had a previous record of dangerous driving, including operating under the influence, and speeding.

On June 26th, Evan Hoffman crashed his Jeep into Jose Puzul-Peres' minivan head on. Puzul-Peres, 43, of Chelsea died in the crash.

Maybe his death could have been avoided if the system paid more attention to drivers such as Hoffman, whose driving history marks other accidents and misdemanors.

Hoffman was caught drunk driving about a year ago, and his license was suspended for a year on June 23rd, 2009. However, he was involved in another accident in New York City in October, 2009. Why was he driving without a license in the first place??

Whatever the reason for the NYC accident, that did not stop him from getting his license reinstated one year after it was suspended - right on schedule on June 24th 2010, only two days before the fatal crash that killed Puzul-Peres.

If somebody had noticed that Hoffman was involved in a crash after his license got revoked, perhaps it would have helped prevent him from getting it back and driving on the 26th.

Or maybe, that wouldn't have helped at all. License or not, he drove an unregistered Jeep over the double yellow lines on the road into another person's minivan.

Police revoked Hoffman's driving license again, in this case for an indefinite time.

He was not charged in the crash, and we can only express our sincerest condolences to the family of Jose Puzul-Peres, hoping that Hoffman will be a more careful driver in the future.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Flying Cars Just Around the Corner

We found a curious story reported by AP about cars with wings which might become reality in 2011. Could it be?

The company that would produce them, Terrafugia (Latin for "escape from the land"), is based in Woburn, Massachusetts. Founded in 2006 by 5 MIT grad students with passion for flying (all 5 were also pilots), Terrafugia plans to deliver the first car-plane, called the Transition, to consumers by the end of 2011.



"It's the next 'wow' vehicle," Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh told AP, "Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don't fly."

A big step toward success was reached after the Federal Aviation Administration granted a special weight limit exemption to the Transition.

Although the Transition is a long way from cartoon dreams of flying cars, the car will be able to master both worlds - roads and airways. It will have wings which unfold for flying, and fold back for driving in one minute.

For now, the Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, and it still needs a runway for takeoff and landing.

Terrafugia is working with the FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.

It is designed to fly under 10,000 feet with a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Gas mileage on the road is about 30 mpg.

The price - $194,000.

A bit pricey for some, but already more than 70 orders with deposits have been made. Little boys' dreams do not die easily.

Woman Injured in Crash with Utility Poles

A single moment of driver innattentiveness can affect more than 900 homes and small businesses, as was the case this morning, when a driver struck two utility poles and cut off the power to a whole neighborhood in Methuen.

The driver, an unnamed woman, sustained injuries in the single-vehicle accident after she lost control over her car and veered off the road, crashing into the utility poles. She suffered facial injuries after her airbag was deployed in the crash and was taken to Holy Family Hospital for treatment.

The accident occurred early this morning (around 2 am) on Riverside Drive, creating a power outage in the entire neighborhood.

More than 900 households and businesses were left without power, while electrical crews from Verizon and National Grid were working this morning to restore electricity and phone service to the affected areas.

Police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
The full story can be found on Eagle Tribune.