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 April; five were identified as people walking. In this post, we’ll look at crashes in MA in May 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 33 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in May in the MassDOT Crash portal, 6 were identified as people walking.
• The average age of pedestrians hit & killed in May was 44.6.
• At least one person was on a sidewalk and two others were in crosswalks when drivers hit & killed them.

47-year old Angela Desmond was walking on the sidewalk in North Andover when the driver of a Honda Civic struck and killed her. Boston 25 News spoke to a neighbor:

Bill Dolan also lives nearby — and frequently walks his dog along Mass. Ave. Dolan said he’s actually seen vehicles veer up onto the sidewalk, in an attempt to get around drivers making a turn.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Massachusetts Avenue is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides (note: road inventory says 1 side). The speed limit is 35mph.

5-year old Sidney Mae Olson was struck and killed by the driver of a large truck in a crosswalk in Andover. From WCVB:

The Olson family statement said the girl and another family member were in the crosswalk on Elm Street, and “the walk sign showed it was still safe to cross.”

“As long-time residents of the neighborhood, we’ve followed that route hundreds of times before. The rest was a blur, and Sidney was struck by a truck and killed, leaving an impossible void in our lives,” the family said.

The Eagle Tribute reports that MassDOT was leading a road safety audit in response to the crash:

Technically, MassDOT will be conducting what is known as a Road Safety Audit, which are reviews of existing, or planned roads and intersections, according to the state’s website.

In order to complete the audit, MassDOT is going to begin compiling crash data and other pertinent information as “soon as possible,” according to the MassDOT email to Finegold’s office.

“In an effort to assist the community, MassDOT will be organizing a Road Safety Audit for the location that can be used to determine potential safety countermeasures that could be implemented in the immediate, short and long term scenarios,” the email said.

MassDOT added that state, and local officials and departments will be involved in the audit.

News of the audit comes following a May 11 letter sent by local legislators to MassDOT asking that the state “focus resources on improving pedestrian safety at the intersection.”

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, each road at this intersection is under local jurisdiction. Elm Street is a two-way street, with three travel lanes in one direction (a channelized right turn lane, one travel lane, and left turn as it approaches the intersection) and one travel lane away from the intersection. There is a sidewalk on both sides. The speed limit is 30mph.

15-year old Dylan Levesque was struck and killed by the driver of a car while crossing the street at the corner of Route 28 and the shopping entrance to the Hannaford Supermarket plaza in Taunton on Mother’s Day.

From the Taunton Daily Gazette:

Officials said there have been longstanding concerns over the lack of a traffic signal or crosswalk light at the intersection of Merchants Way and Route 28/East Grove Street where Dylan was hit.

Within the vicinity of the shopping plaza, also known as Middleboro Crossing, where Dylan was coming from, are two elementary schools, Middleboro High School and the YMCA.

“There are always kids, walking, riding bikes, families walking to and from the grocery store/shopping center. We need something so these people that aren’t in cars can be safe from cars flying by,” said Erika Rusconi, who started a Change.org petition to get a crosswalk light installed at that intersection.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, E. Grove Street is under MassDOT jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lane in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one side of the street and a shoulder on both sides. The speed limit is 40mph. A “Do Not Pass” sign is visible on Google Street View.

The Telegram & Gazette reports 76-year old Mario Bratkon was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle while crossing the street in a crosswalk in Fitchburg near the Fitchburg/Leominster line.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Water Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 2 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on both sides of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

This intersection is at the Leominster / Fitchburg line; on the other side of Nichols Street, Fitchburg’s Water Street becomes Leominster’s North Main Street.

NBC Boston reports a 79-year old woman was struck and seriously injured by the 19-year old driver of a Nissan Rogue. The woman was taken by ambulance to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington. This crash was categorized as a fatal crash in the MassDOT portal when checked on June 30th.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Haverhill Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk on one of the street. The speed limit is 35mph.

A 46-year old woman was struck and killed by the driver of a vehicle.The call log of Everett, MA police for May 28th lists “911-FEMALE POSSIBLY STRUCK BY MV.” We could not find any additional news coverage of this incident.

According to the MassDOT Road Inventory, Woodlawn Street is under local jurisdiction. It is a two-way street, with 1 travel lanes in each direction. There is a sidewalk and street parking on both sides of the street. The speed limit is unclear, as it is listed as 99 and not viewable nearby on street view. The default speed limit in Everett 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).