Haverhill Woman Charged in DUI Crash

A Massachusetts woman was charged with driving under the influence of liquor following a car crash at around 1 am yesterday at Kenoza Avenue and Route 108 (Newton Road) in Haverhill, the Eagle Tribune reported.

The alleged drunken driver, Christine Yacubacci, 43, of Haverhill, was making a left from Kenoza Avenue onto Route 108 when she struck another car driven by Lisa Daoust, 39, also of Haverhill.

Daoust had two passengers in the car with her, Paula Perez and Ramon Morales, both 20. Airbags were deployed in both vehicles.

Yacubacci was given a Breathalyzer test, which she failed, police said, resulting in charges for driving under the influence and a marked lanes violation.

All people involved in the crash were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Attleboro Teen Killed in Bike Crash

A teenager's life was lost in a Friday morning motorcycle accident in Attleboro when he crashed his motorcycle into a mailbox and possibly a car on his way to school.

Police said Myles Brastow, 18, was traveling on a motorcycle to Attleboro High School on Thurber Avenue toward Oakhill Avenue, while a car was coming out of Chapel Hill Drive at the same time.

The driver of the car, a 21-year-old woman, was not injured in the crash. Her name is yet to be released by police.

Brastow suffered fatal injuries, and even though he was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Brastow was wearing a helmet, police said.

This is the third fatal accident involving an Attleboro High School student in the last three years.

News Sources: The Boston Channel, The Sun Chronicle, The Boston Globe.

Newbury Man Killed in I-89 Crash

One man died and another was seriously injured in a single-vehicle accident on I-89 in New London, NH on Friday.

Police said the accident fatality was a 23-year-old Newbury man, Mark Laustsen, while his longtime friend, Thomas Cronin, 22, was seriously injured in the 5 am crash.

Laustsen reportedly drove off the left shoulder of the southbound lane of I-89 into the median embankment, about a mile south of Exit 11 in New London.

The crash sent the vehicle, a 2000 Chevrolet Tracker, to roll over several times before coming to a stop on its tires, while ejecting Laustsen from the vehicle.

Laustsen suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene, police said.

His passenger, Cronin, sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries and was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Police are still trying to determine the cause of the crash.

According to Laustsen's mother, Janet Laustsen, he was driving back from a friend's house and could have been tired after working a full day as a machinist at Continental Machine in Andover, Mass.

Laustsen and Cronin had been friends since high school, she said.

News Sources: The Concord Monitor, The Union Leader.

South Attleboro Accident Results in DWI Charges

A minor accident in South Attleboro, MA resulted in drunk driving charges to a Rhode Island woman last Wednesday.

The driver initially refused to get out of her car so it could be towed after the crash, prompting an investigation and a drunk driving arrest.

Linda M. Moreira, 53, of Cumberland, RI pleaded innocent last Thursday in to a second-offense drunken driving charge and following too close to another vehicle, police said.

The Sun Chronicle reported that Moreira was traveling on Route 1 North when she rear-ended another car at the intersection of Route 1 and Highland Avenue.

Police found the two wrecked vehicles in the left-turn lane.

Both vehicles were towed due to damage and because the other driver's license had been suspended in Massachusetts.

Moreira was arrested after she refused to get out of her car. Her breath-alcohol test registered 0.12%, which is higher than the legal limit for intoxication of 0.08%.

Moreira was freed without bail, but must report to probation twice weekly.

South Dennis Woman Injured in Crash

A Tuesday morning accident at Upper County Road and Aunt Debbys Road in South Dennis resulted in the injuries of 68-year-old local woman, news reports said.

Image Source: Google Maps.

The victim was airlifted to Boston Medical Center after being struck by a 1999 Jeep Wrangler driven by Serena Scannell, 26, of Dennisport. Scannell was not injured in the crash.

A preliminary investigation by police indicated that the injured woman was walking against traffic at the edge of the westbound lane of Upper County Road when Scannell struck her.

The victim's name was not immediately released to the public.

Holyoke Man Involved in Turnpike Rollover Crash Released on Bail

A 30-year-old driver who was facing several charges in a September 17 rollover crash on Massachusetts Turnpike in Palmer, in which an infant was seriously injured, was released on $500 bail on Monday. He was ordered not to drive.

Juan C. Rodriguez, of Holyoke, Mass. pleaded not guily to charges of negligent driving, driving without a license, speeding, driving with a small child not in a car seat and allowing two other children to ride without seatbelts.

According to the police, Rodriguez was driving a 1996 Chevy Blazer SUV on Massachusetts Turnpike west the morning of Sept 17, when he lost control over the vehicle in the left lane, went across the right lane and landed on its roof up against the right guardrail.

Accoridng to police reports, a preliminary investigation indicated Rodriguez was driving at about 85 mph.

A 7-month old infant, Eric Colon of Holyoke, was seriously injured in the crash. The little boy went out the vehicle’s window. He was treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he was listed in a serious condition on Monday.

Eric's mother, Jenelian LaBoy, was also thrown from the SUV, in which the little boy's father, Miguel Angel Colon, and two other small boys were also present.

Rodriguez and the five passengers were all taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment, MassLive reported.

MBTA Worker Saves Man from Burning Car

Earlier this week an MBTA Green line worker pulled an injured man out of the back seath of a burning car in Arlington, MA.

According to firefighters, he probably saved the man's life when he freed him from the burning taxi cab, the Boston Herald news article said.

About 7 am on Monday, John Bailey, 63, of Medford, who has worked for MBTA for 36 years, was on his way to work when he saw a taxi cab jump over an embankment and crash into a tree along the Mystic Valley Parkway near the Medford line in Arlington, the Boston Globe reported.

Bailey said he stopped his car when he saw that the taxi's engine caught on fire.

He immediately ran down to the burning car to help. He opened the back passenger door and found a passenger whose face was covered in blood. There was no driver in the car.

Bailey began to pull the passenger out of the car and called for help since he had difficulty getting him all the way out of the vehicle.

Another man arrived and helped Bailey pull the injured man out of the taxi, which was soon fully engulfed in flames. By then firefighters arrived at the scene.

The injured passenger was later identified as George Kane, 42, of Lexington.

The taxi cab driver, Jean M. Franck, 47, of Medford, was discovered on the embankment suffering from a broken leg and head contusions.

Both Franck and Kane were transported to Massachusetts General Hospital where they were reported to be in fair condition.

State Police think the accident happened due to excessive speed. The taxi cab, a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria owned by Arlex Taxi Company in Medford, was speeding when Franck lost control, went off the road and traveled along the Mystic River for a short distance. He then re-entered the roadway and rear-ended a Toyota Camry. The crash sent the taxi into a tree and Franck was thrown from the car, which burst into flames, police said.

The other driver, Alain Velis, 41, of Medford, was not injured.

Franck is facing the possiblity of three charges including reckless operation of a vehicle, operating with a suspended license and a marked lane violation.

Arlington Fire Chief Robert Jefferson said he will be writing a letter of commendation for Bailey for his bravery and quick response.

“We couldn’t be more proud of him. He represents the best of MBTA employees,” said MBTA General Manager Richard Davey.

Bicyclist Injured by Car in Roxbury

A 46-year-old bicyclist is in serious condition after he was struck by a car near Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue in Roxbury, MA.

The injured man was struck at about 4:30 pm yesterday near the busy Roxbury intersection. He was trasported to Boston Medical Center with “life threatening injuries,” police spokesman James Kenneally said.

According to the Boston Herald news report, the motorist has not been cited.

Neither the name of the driver nor the victim have been released to the public.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.

Two Injured in 3-Car Crash on 495 South

A Massachusetts woman and a Maine woman were injured in a 3-vehicle accident on I-495 South near the 133 Exit near Adover this morning.

Christine Leeds, 63, of Andover and Annielu Dewitt-Santini, 39, of York sustained minor injuries and were taken to Saints Memorial Hospital in Lowell following the crash.

Police say the accident involved a Porsche operated by Leeds, a Mercury Milan driven by Dewitt-Santini, and a third car.

While Leeds' and Dewitt-Santini's cars were damaged in the crash, the third driver, Carol Finocchario-Nerney, 41, of Manchester, NH, was able to drive her vehicle from the scene of the accident. She was not injured.

The accident is still under state police investigation. No charges have been filed.

We will provide more information regarding this accident as soon as more details become available.

News Source: The Eagle Tribune.

Senior Driver Charged in Fatal Westport Crash

A 77-year-old Dartmouth woman, Alice Pfeninger, will be charged in connection with the Tuesday car accident which claimed the life of Lillian Bono, 86, New Bedford.

The fatal auto accident happened near 681 Old County Road in Westport, MA and involved 2 cars, a Subaru and a Volvo, which collided head on.

Westford police and firefighters responded to the crash and used a mechanical device to extricate the victims from their vehicles.

Herald News reports that Bono died at Charlton memorial Hospital in Fall River.

Police found that Pfeninger's Subaru headed east on Old County Road came into the path of Bono’s Volvo going in the opposite direction.

There were no skid marks on the road.

Seatbelt Saves Life in Grafton Rollover Crash

Seatbelts save lives.

A perfect example for this fact is the Massachusetts Turnpike rollover accident which occurred yesterdat morning. A Sturbridge man who wisely buckled his seatbelt before going on the road was lucky to get out of a wreck alive after his car rolled over on the road.

Mark Pover, 45, was going east in his Dodge Caliber about 7 am when solar glare prompted him to change from the middle lane to the left lane, Telegram reported.

Another man, Sean Crutchley, 30, of Worcester driving a Dodge Magnum struck Pover’s vehicle from behind, causing the Dodge Caliber to roll over three times before landing on its roof.

Rescue workers found Pover still in his car. He was not ejected from his seat as he undoubtedly would have had he not remembered to buckle up. Pover also escaped serious injury, despite the severity of the crash.

State police said Pover's vehicle was not struck as a result of the lane change.

Crutchley, whose car also clipped the rear end of a third vehicle, a 2005 Ford Taurus driven by Martin Dragon Jr., 68, of Sturbridge, was cited for speeding and failing to use care in stopping.

Pover was treated for minor injuries at UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus in Worcester.

We applaud his common sense to put on a seatbelt, and hope he will have a speedy recovery.

Teen Girl Injured in Route 3 Crash

A 14-year-old girl suffered serious injury in a Thursday morning car crash on Route 3 north in Rockland, MA, the Boston Herald reported.

The injured girl was airlifted by a medical helicopter to Children’s Hospital in Boston.

No more details were available regarding this accident.

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A second accident occurred near Route 228 in which three other people were injured. The single-car accident involved a 2002 Subaru Forester driven by Lane Davy, 41, of Kingston.

Davy and two teenage girls were taken to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth for treatment of their injuries sustained in the crash.

The accident remains under investigation.

Alcohol and Speed Caused Westborough Teen Crashes

Two separate crashes in one week involving teenage Westborough drivers were a result of alcohol, speed and inexperience, police said. A total of six teens were injured in the crashes.

The first crash, which happened on Sunday morning at 4 am, involved an intoxicated driver crashing his car into a tree on Ruggles Street. Police said there were four Westborough High students in the car driven by Vaughn Sewell, 18, who was drunk and speeding.

Sewell did not have a driver's license, only a learner's permit.

According to Massachusetts law, drivers with a learning permit are required to have an adult over 21 with a valid license and at least one year of driving experience in the front passenger's seat. Learning permit drivers are also restricted from driving between the hours of midnight and 5 am unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, which Sewell was not.

All four teens suffered injuries in the crash.

Sewell, his front-seat 16-year-old passenger, and two girls in the back seat (Alina Bayborodin, 17, and another 15-year-old girl who sustained minor injuries) were taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

The second crash happened on Wednesday in which Andrey L. Golenko, 19, crashed his car on Flanders Road. His passenger, Ilya Bely, 18, was seriously injured. Golenko suffered minor injuries.

Golenko also didn't have a license.

Police said this accident was also caused due to excessive speed, alcohol and inexperience.

These two crashes are a sober reminder to teens to take driving more serously. Parents are advised to educate their teens to become responsible drivers since more than one life can be ruined in an auto accident.

We offer our free Safe Driving Contract between Parents and Teenagers to further throw light on this issue.

You can download the contract by visiting Boston car accident attorney Thomas M. Kiley's website.

Mass Highway Worker Killed by Alleged DUI Driver

A Massachusetts Highway worker was hit Tuesday night by an alleged drunken truck driver on Route 9 in Framingham, suffering a fatal head wound, the Boston Herald reported.

To make matters worse, he fell unnoticed bleeding from his wound, police said. The 57-year-old victim was later discovered unconscious in the breakdown lane by a fellow worker. By then it was too late to save his life.

Police could not say how long the man, Gregory Vilidnitsky, of Natick, lay unconscious on the road, while other construction workers were detaining the driver and his passenger, and talking to the police.

The accident happened when a pickup truck driven by an allegedly drunk driver, Jeremy Gardner, 29, of Maine, struck Vilidnitsky along a section of Route 9 that was being repaved around 11:30 pm.

According to prosecutors in the case, Gardner and his passenger Walter Smith, 50, of Vermont are transient construction workers who were working in Wayland and staying at a hotel in Framingham. The two allegedly went out for drinks at a Framingham bar, where Gardner said they each had a “couple pops.”

The two men were returning to their hotel when they hit Vilidnitsky, then plowed into a road work vehicle.

Prosecutors said Gardner ran from the car while Smith tried to drive away the truck which was heavily damaged in the crash.

Construction workers and Middlesex County sheriffs detained the two men in the truck who were later arrested. Police are investigating the cause of the accident, as well as the amount of time that lapsed before discovering Vilidnitsky.

Police said when they found Vilidnitsky unconscious in the breakdown lane he was bleeding heavily from a wound to the back of his head and not breething. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gardner was held on $100,000 bail, while Smith was held on $50,000 bail.

Gardner's charges include operating under the influence, motor vehicle homicide, operating to endanger, speeding, and leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury.

Smith was charged with operating under the influence 3rd offense and leaving the scene of an accident.

Both men pleaded not guilty.

News Sources: Boston Herald, Press Herald, Boston Globe, WHDH, NECN.

Teen Girl Dies in I-495 Crash

A 17-year-old girl lost her life in a tragic single-vehicle rollover accident on I-495 in Amesbury on Monday. Her two passengers also suffered serious injuries in the crash.

The fatal accident happened when their car, driven by the 17-year-old teen struck a road sign at Exit 54 and rolled into the median.

The girl, along with one passenger, was ejected from her seat when the vehicle rolled over. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Her 20-year-old passenger, Chantay O'Brien, 20, of Freemont NH, sustained serious injuries and was transported to Anna Jaques Hospital for treatment. Another 17-year-old passenger was also seriously injured.

Their vehicle, a 2002 Saturn sedan, was traveling south in the right lane of 495. As it attempted to take the Exit 54, the car left the roadway, struck a sign, and rolled into the median area between the ramp and the southbound lanes, the Eagle Tribune reports.

None of the occupants were wearing seatbelts.

The crash remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police.

We will provide more information about this accident as soon as it becomes available.

Speed Caused Fatal I-293 Crash

Officials say speed was a contributing factor in the I-293 Manchester, NH crash that killed four men over the weekend.

According to state police, the driver of the 2006 Toyota Scion involved in the crash, Jeffrey Levesque, 24, of Londonderry, NH, was speeding when he left the interstate near the merger with I-93 south and crashed the vehicle in the wooded median.

Jesse Pena, 25, of Lowell, MA, was sitting in the front passenger seat, while Chase Abreu, 25, of Pelham and Alex DeFreitas, 24, of Londonderry were sitting in the back seat. Only Levesque was wearing a seat belt, police said.

Autopsy reports released yesterday showed that all four men were killed instantly.

The four men who had known each other since middle school were reported missing on Saturday. Their car was found by a friend on Sunday.

They were last seen at the Black Brimmer American Bar and Grill in Manchester.

Lowell Mourns Officer Killed in Crash

Lowell police veteran, Patrick Johnson, who died in a Saturday crash while he was driving his motorcycle off duty, will be remembered as a great pollice officer who helped take guns off the streets as part of an elite unit focusing on gang activity, and a selfless charity volunteer.

"He was a great officer, a great son, and a great father," said Deputy Superintendent Deborah Friedl. "His colleagues are taking his loss very hard," the Boston Globe reported.

Johnson, 31, who leaves his wife and two small children behind, died after Theary Chan, 26, of Lowell struck Johnson's motorcycle at the intersection of Princeton Boulevard and Foster Street. Chan was arrested on charges which included motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of alcohol.

He was ordered held on $5,000 cash bail at his arraignment yesterday, far lower than the $25,000 requested. Chan is due back in court Oct. 13 for a status hearing.

A wake for Patrick Johnson will be held Wednesday from 3 to 8 pm in Dolan Funeral Home in Chelmsford. A funeral will be held Thursday at 9 am in St. John the Evangelist Parish.

Cause of Manchester Crash Still a Mystery

New Hampshire State Police are still searching for the cause behind the tragic car accident in which four men lost their lives.

Police believe they were heading home to Southern New Hampshire when their car went off the road and crashed into a wooded median area on I-293 south this weekend, the Boston Globe reported.

The men were found in the vehicle, a 2006 Scion, which was discovered by a family friend on Sunday. All four were pronounced dead at the scene .

The four men were the 24-year-old Jeffrey Levesque and Alex DeFreitas, both from Londonderry, NH, as well as Chase Abreu, 25, of Pelham, NH, and Jesse Pena, 25, of Lowell.

Why the car went off the road remains a mystery.

Lowell Driver Accused of OUI in Fatal Crash

A Lowell man who was involved in the fatal crash that killed an off-duty police officer was arraigned in court today on charges that he was drunk at the time.

Theary Chan, 26, struck and killed the six-year police department veteran Patrick Johnson driving a motorcycle off-duty at the intersection of Princeton Boulevard and Foster Street in Lowell, Mass.

Chan's charges include motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence and failure to stop at a stop sign.

Authorities say Chan was drunk when he ran a stop sign and struck the motorcycle. Johnson was fatally injured in the collision. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Chan sustained minor injuries and was treated at a hospital. He was arrested at the scene.

Patrick Johnson, 31, was Marine Corps veteran. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

News Sources: WHDH, Boston Channel.

Lowell Man Killed in Manchester Crash

One of the four men who got killed in a tragic car accident in Manchester, NH, over the weekend was the 25-year-old Jesse Pena from Lowell, MA.

The other victims are Jeffrey Levesque, 24, and Alex DeFreitas, 24, of Londonderry; and Chase Abreu, 25, of Pelham.

The four died as their car, a 2006 Toyota Scion, went off I-93 at least 100 feet and into the median.

Police said skid marks leading into the woods were clearly visible at the crash site at the I-93 and Rt-293 split, but the car was not visible to traffic.

The victims were reported missing by their families on Saturday, police said. According to a family member of one of the victims, the group was last seen at a Manchester bar early Saturday morning.

Family and friends went searching for the men on Saturday. On Sunday a family friend saw the skid marks, found their car which had gone down a steep embankment and crashed into trees, and called the police.

All men inside were pronounced dead at the scene.

We offer our sincerest condolences to the families of the four young men who died in the crash.

News Sources: WMUR, Union Leader.