Personal Injury Law

8 People Killed in Massachusetts Car Crashes Over July 4 Weekend

By Altman & Altman

The holiday weekend turned tragic for a number of Massachusetts car accident victims and their families when eight people were killed and one person was seriously injured in Quincy, Walpole, Attleboro, and Sudbury. According to the Boston Globe, Massachusetts State Police Lieutenant David Wilson said that in his more than two decades reconstructing car accidents, he doesn?t remember so many fatalities in one night.

Amanda Murray, 23, and 20-year-olds Anna Dubois and Nicholas Kelly died early Saturday morning in a Walpole drunk driving accident. The driver of the Jeep Cherokee that they were riding, 31-year-old Jason Spurlin, was Murray?s fiancé. They just had a baby together in May.

Spurlin, who was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center following the deadly crash, was arraigned for motor vehicle homicide and drunken driving charges. According to Norfolk prosecutor George Papachristos, Spurlin was driving 70mph in a 30mph zone when he crashed into a tree. There were alcohol bottles in the vehicle.

Another three people died early Saturday morning in an Attleboro rollover accident on 95 North. According to police, Gleidson Pereira, 23, lost control of a 2003 Mazda sedan, which rolled over, striking a number of tree stumps.

Pereira and passengers Lavdeir De Silva, 29, and Ivanildo De Souza, 27, sustained fatal injuries. All of them were declared dead at the Massachusetts site. Another passenger, Samuel Torres-Mendes, sustained serious injuries. All four Plymouth residents victims were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the motor vehicle during the rollover crash.

Also on July 4, Michael Lally, 19, died in a Quincy traffic accident involving four vehicles. According to police, Lally, who was driving, hit another vehicle. At least two other vehicles somehow became involved in the Massachusetts car accident that caused Lally and his 18-year-old cousin, who was one of the three people riding with him, to get ejected from the vehicle. Lally?s cousin, who was seriously injured, and several others were taken to the hospital following the catastrophic crash.

The 8th fatality was a 22-year-old motorist who lost control of his vehicle in a Sudbury single-crash collision. Investigators say the motorist was driving his vehicle at a high speed when he lost control of his BMW, causing it to go around a guardrail and rolled over.

Eight killed in wrecks before dawn, Boston Herald, July 5, 2009

Horrific night on Mass. roads: 4 crashes, 8 dead, Boston.com, July 5, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Kin of young mom killed in crash rail at driver, Boston Herald, July 6, 2009

What to do after a car accident, MSN

Full post as published by Boston Injury Lawyer Blog on July 06, 2009 (boomark / email).