Category: Statewide Efforts

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, October 2023

Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in September; four were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in October 2023. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” Any Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

Of the 31 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in October in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking.
5 of the 6 pedestrian crashes had the ‘speed limit’ field blank in the Road Inventory Viewer.
The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in October was 63.3

Date	10/8/2023, 7:50 PM
Location	Summit St. + Christina Dr.
Town	Peabody
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	61
Sex	M

MassLive reports 61-year old Robert King was crossing the road on Summit Street near Christina Drive when they were hit by a car around 7:40 p.m. on Oct. 7. King died at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Summit St is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street. There is a crosswalk at Christina Drive in Google Street View from 2020. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database, and there are no nearby speed limit signs on Google Street View.

Date	10/12/2023, 7:52 AM
Location	777 West St.
Town	Pittsfield
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	49
Sex	M

The Berkshire Eagle reports 49-year old Shane Cassavant was struck by a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado truck driven by 87-year-old Edward Ladouceur. The Pittsfield Police said Ladouceur did not go around the construction zone, and instead drove into it, striking Cassavant with his truck as Cassavant worked in the road.

From the Berkshire Eagle article:

West Street has been the focus of community conversations around making roadways safer for pedestrians after a local mother, Shaloon Milord, was killed after she was struck in a crosswalk on West Street in January while walking her young child to the bus stop.
The city has proposed a series of road changes designed to slow traffic over a mile stretch of the road, including the area where Milord was fatally injured, near Dorothy Amos Park. But that project would end at Valentine Road approximately a half a mile to the east from the apparent site of Thursday’s crash.

The fatal pedestrian crash on West Street in Pittsfield in January also involved a driver in their 80s.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, West Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction. There are no sidewalks. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; however, an image in the Berkshire Eagle article shows a 40mph speed limit sign.

Date	10/19/2023, 12:56 PM
Location	Main St. + Mountain Ave.
Town	Malden
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	63
Sex	F

WCVB reports 63-year old Mary McTaggart, pushing groceries on the sidewalk, was struck and killed after a multi-car crash in Malden. Investigators say the driver of a BMW SUV slammed into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement SUV that was stopped at this light before the BMW careened off the road, hitting several poles and striking the woman on the sidewalk.

Boston 25 News spoke to someone who had recently seen the victim:

Madina Adolph fought back tears after finishing her first day volunteering in the food pantry of a nearby YMCA. She tells Boston 25 she had just served the woman.
“I cannot believe I just help her get food it just a sad thing you know life is too short,” said Adolph.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Main Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides of the street. The intersection of Main Street and Mountain Avenue has a traffic signal. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database.

Date	10/26/2023, 7:35 PM
Location	19 City Hall Ave.
Town	Gardner
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	59
Sex	M

We could not find any additional news coverage of this crash. If you have any information, please let us know.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, City Hall Avenue is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on both sides. There is diagonal parking on one side and parallel parking on the other side of the street. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database.

Date	10/27/2023, 6:01 PM
Location	265 Pleasant St.
Town	Marblehead
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	80
Sex	M

The Marblehead Current reports 80-year old Karl Johnson was struck and killed while crossing Pleasant between Smith Street and Mohawk Road.

From the Current article:

Resident Dan Albert, a local safe streets advocate who has researched Pleasant Street, called for more action.
“Speeding continues to be a problem along the 25 mph roadway, despite the recent fatalities and ongoing concerns,” said Albert. “We have lots of data to show us the danger points. And those are not crash data.”
He added, “I would like to know, ‘How are the police using the data that they have from the new speed advisory signs?’”
Albert argues that the busy corridor should be evaluated for a “road diet,” reducing lanes and lane widths to slow cars.
“Pleasant Street may be wide enough to accommodate more and current traffic volumes, including bicycle lanes,” he said. “Narrower lanes themselves can slow speeds. So there are two benefits — slower traffic and more space for other uses.”
Town officials note traffic and street changes should occur as incremental steps to improve safety through traffic calming and enhanced visibility of crosswalks.
In 2022, the town installed bump-outs at three crosswalks along Pleasant Street near Mohawk Road, Smith Street, and on West Shore Drive. The curb extensions narrow the roadway width at crossing points to reduce pedestrian exposure and slow approaching traffic.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Pleasant St/MA-114 is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with one travel lane in each direction and a sidewalk on each side. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; the Marblehead Current articles states it is 25mph.

Date	10/27/2023, 6:24 PM
Location	235 State St.
Town	Springfield
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	68
Sex	M

A MassLive obituary shares that Michael Cooley, a lifelong resident of Springfield, died at the age of 68 after being struck by a motorist while crossing the street in front of his apartment at the Classical Condominiums on State Street. State Street was the deadliest street in Springfield for pedestrians in 2021.

From his obituary:

An indominable optimist with an irrepressible sense of humor and a love of his own jokes, Michael was an active member of Rotary and Sinai Temple, a Board Member of Pathlight, a past Grand Master of his Masonic Lodge, and an enthusiastic participant and volunteer at Grey House, the Salvation Army, the Golden Age Club, and Just Faith. He never missed a Sunday making sandwiches for Springfield’s homeless population or the chance to volunteer to help someone in need.
Springfield has never had a more loyal sports fan that Michael. In good times and bad, he was there as a jersey-wearing season ticket holder to cheer on the Falcons, the Thunderbirds, UMass basketball and football teams. Although he had physical challenges and special needs his whole life, Michael was oblivious to his own limitations or those of others. Age, race, religion, and “disability” were distinctions without differences to him except when they called forth a chance to help.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, State Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with two travel lanes in each direction. There are sidewalks on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 30mph.

Updates
If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our 2023 list. WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.
Yearly trackers: | ||||| 2022 | 2023
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022)

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal
MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).

November 2023 Network Meeting: MA Safe Routes to School Recording

Judy Crocker joined us for this month’s WalkMassachusetts Network discussion to share about the MA Safe Routes to School program.

Since 2005, the federally funded Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program (nationally #1 ranked program of MassDOT) has been working to increase safe biking and walking for students grade K-12 by using a collaborative, community-focused approach that bridges the gap between health and transportation. Join this as we discuss Their latest efforts include the recent inclusion of high schools, driver education materials, and DESE-accreditation for professional development of their pedestrian and bike safety curriculum.

The session was recorded, and you can view the presentation below.

Links shared during the discussion

View a PDF of the slides.

The WalkMassachusetts Network typically meets every third Wednesday of each month at 1 pm. Register for upcoming Zoom calls at this link.
Anyone can listen in and participate in monthly calls! Join the Google Group to get a reminder about these Zoom calls.
Do you have a topic that should be discussed at a future meeting? Suggestions welcome!

Testimony against Sidewalk Robot Bills (H3331, H3417, S2228)

October 27, 2023

Joint Committee on Transportation
Brendan Crighton, Senate Chair
Room 109-C
Boston, MA 02133

William Straus, House Chair
Room 134
Boston, MA 02133

RE: Testimony against Sidewalk Robot Bills (H3331, H3417, S2228)

Dear Chairman Crighton and Chairman Straus,

WalkMassachusetts is a non-profit organization that works to make walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and more vibrant communities. Founded in 1990 as WalkBoston, we changed our name in April 2023 to better reflect the work we’re doing across the Commonwealth alongside community partners. LivableStreets advocates for practical, people-centered transportation systems in Metro Boston that can dismantle invisible barriers that divide neighborhoods, communities, and people.

We are concerned about legislation that would give robots the same rights to public sidewalks and walkways as pedestrians (H3331, H3417, S2228). Sidewalks, crosswalks, and other walkways across the Commonwealth currently fall short of meeting the needs of people of all ages and abilities, as evidenced by the increasing number of pedestrians killed every year.

Using MassDOT data, WalkMassachusetts released a crash report earlier this year which found that in 2022, 435 people died in traffic crashes in Massachusetts, including 101 people walking. Of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 60 communities had a fatal pedestrian crash in 2022, and older adults were hit and killed at a higher rate than those in other age groups. 71% of fatal pedestrian crashes took place in Environmental Justice Census Block Groups. The report can be found at https://dev.walkboston.org/fatal22

Two sessions ago (March 2019), we testified against a ‘mobile carry device’ bill similar to H3417/S2228. We are broadly concerned that regulations allowing these devices could open the door to privatization of the public way. More specifically, we are troubled about the impacts these vehicles can have on the safety and comfort of pedestrians, young and old, and of people using mobility devices. A 90-lb device that can carry up to 45-lbs of goods traveling at 12.5 miles per hour should not operate on the sidewalk; instead, it belongs in the street. Even more concerning is H3331, which would allow a 550lb ‘personal delivery device’ to operate at 10 miles per hour on sidewalks. It is unclear what the total weight of this much larger device would be, since the bill notes that this weight excludes cargo. At this weight and speed, the likelihood of a pedestrian injury is high–and likely higher for people who don’t move as fast or cannot see or hear these devices coming down the sidewalk.

We applaud efforts from the private sector for looking to offer deliveries using smaller vehicles. Oversized vehicles are a danger to people walking, biking, and driving. However, if delivery companies are concerned about the risk of their 550 pound vehicles getting struck while traveling on local streets, the answer cannot be to move them to the sidewalks.

Our shared vision for safe streets points to a longstanding need to increase funding for Chapter 90 and MassDOT’s competitive funding programs, including Safe Routes to School, Complete Streets, and the Shared Streets and Spaces program. Additionally, there needs to be a strong emphasis to encourage the use of these funds for traffic-calming, sidewalk construction, and other similarly walk-friendly infrastructure. Every reconstruction project should be a Complete Streets project, not just projects that receive money through the Complete Streets funding program. These oversubscribed programs allow communities to implement traffic calming measures and street designs that accommodate a wider range of smaller vehicles for deliveries and transportation.

We appreciate the opportunity to comment, and would be happy to work with any proponent to offer feedback.

Sincerely,

Brendan Kearney
Co-Executive Director, WalkMassachusetts

Catherine Gleason
Public Policy Manager, LivableStreets Alliance

Statewide Fatal Crashes In MA, September 2023

Each month, we post about the fatal crashes in Massachusetts from the previous month, and share any trends that we see. For the full list of monthly posts, head here.

Last month, we took a look at crashes listed in the MassDOT Crash Portal in August; six were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in September 2023. The information in the chart below is compiled from news reports, and was checked against the MassDOT Crash Portal Dashboard “Fatal Crash Information.” Any Google Street View images included below use the address listed in the crash portal.

Of the 31 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in September in the MassDOT Crash portal, 4 were identified as people walking.
The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in September was 40.25.

Date	9/1/2023, 7:59 PM
Location	Worthington St. + Bowdoin St.
Town	Springfield
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	25
Sex	M

WWLP reports an unidentified 25-year old man was struck and killed by a driver on Worthington Street in Springfield.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Worthington Street and Bowdoin Street are both under local jurisdiction. Each is a two-way street with one lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides. Bowdoin Street has stop signs at the intersection. The speed limit is 30mph. Google Streetview images are from 2019, but shows curb ramps and faded crosswalks to walk across Bowdoin Street; there are no crosswalks or curb ramps across Worthington Street at this intersection. (A police spokesperson said the person was not in a crosswalk without sharing this important detail.)

Date	9/17/2023, 7:53 PM
Location	391 Hancock St.
Town	Springfield
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	42
Sex	F

WWLP reports that an unidentified 42-year old woman was killed after two drivers struck her on Hancock Street in Springfield. One of the drivers remained at the crash, but the driver of the other car left the scene.

Western Mass News spoke to John Vivenzio, who lives nearby:

Vivenzio lives steps away from the area where the woman was struck by the cars on Sunday. He told us he is now worried about possible safety issues for other pedestrians and even those driving down Hancock Street.
“That light wasn’t on. I don’t remember the last time that light was ever on, so it was dark that way and with these lights that do come on, it’s not that bright as it is,” Vivenzio added. “People speed around here all the time. I mean, I’m out here, even during the day, and I’ll start whistling ‘Slow down!’ We’ve had dogs killed out here and stuff. You know, it’s crazy for speeding. People just don’t do it and I don’t know what we can do to stop it ‘cause it just keeps happening.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Hancock Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with one lane in each direction and sidewalks on both sides. The speed limit is unclear, as it is not listed in the database; the corner of Hancock and Florence St (302 Hancock Street) has a “School Speed Limit 20mph, 7am to 3pm” sign posted.

Date	9/27/2023, 9:51 PM
Location	SR-132 (1800 Iyannough Rd.)
Town	Barnstable / Hyannis
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	54
Sex	F

CapeCod.com reports an unidentified 54-year old Hyannis resident was struck and killed by the driver of a blue Saturn Vue SUV on Route 132 near the intersection with Shootflying Hill Rd.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, SR-132 (Iyannough Rd) is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street with two lanes in each direction and no sidewalks on either side. The speed limit is 45mph. There are no crosswalks to cross Iyannough Rd at the intersection of Shootflying Hill Rd.

Date	9/29/2023, 5:10 AM
Location	US-3 SOUTH, EXIT 38B
Town	Weymouth
Type	PEDESTRIAN
Age	40
Sex	M

The Boston Globe reports a 40-year old man was struck and killed in a three-car crash on Route 3 South. (A person driving is classified as a pedestrian when they exit their vehicle. Since this is listed in the data as a pedestrian crash, a driver may have gotten out of their vehicle if it was broken down on the roadway.)

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, US-3 is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way road with three travel lanes and shoulders in each direction. The speed limit is 60mph.

Updates
If you have an update about a community member who was killed in one of these crashes, please contact Brendan so we can update our 2023 list. WalkBoston has maintained a list each year since 2016, pulling the information from news reports, social media, and from people like you that share the information with us.
Yearly trackers: | ||||| 2022 | 2023
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2021)
Report: Fatal Pedestrian Crashes in MA (2022)

Reminder about the data from the MassDOT portal
MassDOT makes no representation as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, availability or completeness of the crash records or the data collected from them and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such records or data. Under no circumstance will MassDOT have any liability for any loss or damage incurred by any party as a result of the use of the crash records or the data collected from them. Furthermore, the data contained in the web-based crash report tool are not an official record of what transpired in a particular crash or for a particular crash type. If a user is interested in an official copy of a crash report, contact the Registry (http://www.mass.gov/rmv/). The City of Boston Police Department may be contacted directly for official copies of crash reports and for crash data pertaining to the City of Boston. In addition, any crash records or data provided for the years after 2018 are subject to change at any time and are not to be considered up-to-date or complete. As such, open years’ of crash data are for informational purposes only and should not be used for analysis. The data posted on this website, including crash records and other reports, are collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions or railway-highway crossings. Under federal law, this information is not subject to discovery and cannot be admitted into evidence in any federal or state court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages that involves the sites mentioned in these records (see 23 USC, Section 409).