crash_reports

On Monday, March 11, 2019 while assigned to Traffic unit N525, I responded to the area of Watertown Street and Adams Street, Newton for a report of a motor vehicle/pedestrian accident. The accident was reported to Newton Police Dispatch by Newton Police Officer Charles Guarino. Officer Guarino identified the pedestrian involved in the accident as Newton Police Officer James Selig. Watertown Street and Adams Street are both public ways maintained by the City of Newton. After completing my investigation, the operator of MV1, Colleen Butaney (S20012566) was issued Massachusetts Uniform Citation T1272995 for Chapter 90, Section 25 (Fail to Stop for a Police Officer) and Chapter 89, Section 4A (Marked Lanes Violation). Butaney was advised and the citation was placed in her property in Locker #4 in the NPD holding area prior to her release. Officer T. McCarthy completed and submitted a criminal application for Butaney for Chapter 265, Section 15b (Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, MV). Please refer to incident report #19009204 for statements from all parties involved. Photos were taken of the area/vehicle and submitted to the IT Bureau. The vehicle involved, (MA: 531PX6) was removed from the roadway by Tody's towing. Officer Marini completed a towed motor vehicle report form. Surveillance footage of the incident was recovered from a local business and was submitted to the IT Bureau/Support Services. A property and evidence form was completed and submitted to Officer Manouk.

On Tuesday, September 10, 2019 while assigned to Traffic unit N525, I responded to the area of Beacon Street and Roslyn Road, Newton for a report of a motor vehicle/bicycle crash. The weather at the time of the crash was overcast. The road surface was dry. Beacon Street and Roslyn Road are both public ways maintained by the City of Newton. I spoke with the bicyclist involved in the crash, Steven Greenzang (S96615185). Greenzang stated he was traveling Westbound on Beacon Street in the shoulder lane on his black Specialized bicycle. Greenzang had a yellow reflective vest on and was wearing a helmet at this time. Greenzang stated a vehicle in the travel lane to his left drove by him and hit the mirror located on his left handlebar. I observed damage to the mirror. Greenzang report no injuries. I spoke with the operator of MV1, Sarah Bonfanti (S66811372). Bonfanti stated she was parked in front of 1411 Beacon Street waiting to pick up a co-worker that resides at that address. Bonfanti stated a bicycle traveling on the sidewalk to her right crashed into the passenger side door mirror of her 2008 Toyota Scion (MA: 681YH1). Bonfanti stated the bicyclist was acting "crazy" during her interaction with him and he was trying to take her picture. Bonfanti stated she got back into her vehicle and moved up the roadway to wait for police to arrive on scene. I canvassed the area where the accident occurred with Sgt. Dempsey. There was glass from the passenger side mirror of MV1 and Greenzang's bicycle in the main travel lane of the roadway and the shoulder lane where Greenzang stated he was traveling. We also observed a large tree and a telephone pole on the sidewalk next to the roadway where the accident is alleged to have occurred. After speaking with all parties involved, observing the location of the glass in the roadway from the crash, and the location of the tree and telephone pole on the sidewalk where he accident occurred; Greenzang would not have been able to operate his bicycle on the sidewalk and be close enough to the roadway to make contact with MV1. Prior to clearing the accident, I asked Bonfanti if she had any questions and if she wanted to report any injuries. Bonfanti stated she was hit by the bicyclist during her exchange with him and began grabbing her left leg. I asked Bonfanti why she did not inform the officers on scene that she was assaulted. Bonfanti stated she said something to our Dispatch when she called. I asked Bonfanti if her leg was injured. Bonfanti stated I was putting words in her mouth and that she was just scratching her leg. Bonfanti then stated she was hit in the right shoulder. I asked Bonfanti if she would like an ambulance to respond and evaluate her. Bonfanti declined and stated she was more concerned about her mirror. I advised Bonfanti if she wanted to pursue charges against Greenzang she could do so in Newton District Court. I listened to the 9-1-1 recording Bonfanti made in regards to this incident. Bonfanti stated a pedestrian busted out her window. Bonfanti then stated to our dispatcher that the bicyclist lost control of his bicycle and smashed into her car. During her exchange with the our dispatcher, I did not hear Bonfanti say she was physically assaulted by Greenzang.

On 09/30/2020 at approximately 19:32hrs members of the Newton Police Patrol Bureau responded to a motor vehicle crash near the intersection of Washington St and Eddy St. After an initial investigation of the crash the Patrol Bureau secured the crash scene and called in the Newton Police Traffic Bureau to investigate. At approximately 19:45hrs Sgt. Devine, Ofc Wilson and I (Ofc Schlegel) from the NPD Traffic Bureau responded to the scene to investigate. Upon arrival to the scene I was met by Ofc Kane of the NPD Patrol Bureau. Ofc Kane stated that the crash was located in the driveway of 74 Eddy St and that it involved a Ford F350 pickup striking two parked cars. Ofc Kane stated that the operator identified as Kyle Butler had already been taken to Newton Wellesley Hospital by Cataldo EMS for injuries. . Upon approaching the crash scene I observed the following: The crash occurred at night time hours at approximately 19:32EST near the intersection of Washington St and Eddy St. Both Washington St and Eddy St are public ways in the City of Newton. The weather conditions at the time of the crash were a dark and clear with a temperature of approximately 60 degrees F. Washington St is a four lane undivided roadway (2 westbound travel lanes and 2 eastbound travel lanes). Washington St lighted roadway which has concrete light poles on both the westbound and eastbound sides. Washington St was under construction at the time and had a base coat of asphalt applied. At the time of the crash Washington St did not have any painted lane markings due to ongoing construction. Washington St is separated from the road sides on both the eastbound edge and the westbound edge with fixed granite curbing. The roadway also had several orange traffic barrels and traffic cones located edges of the eastbound and westbound lanes. Affixed to the light poles and the traffic barrels were temporary no parking signs for the ongoing road construction. At the time of the crash no road construction activities were taking place. No major debris or other obstructions were observed in the roadway. Washington St is a major roadway in the City of Newton and travels west to East across the entire City of Newton. This area of Washington St where the crash occurred is in between West Newton Square and Newtonville Square, this area has a posted 35 MPH speed limit. Both West Newton Square and Newtonville Square are densely populated with several businesses and residential areas. The section of Washington St where the crash occurred is also traveled frequently by pedestrian, bicycle and motor vehicle traffic. At the time the crash occurred 19:32hrs This area of Washington St is still a heavily travelled roadway. I observed Vehicle 1 described as a 2003 Ford F350 color white (MA Reg 5DT664) located in the driveway of 74 Eddy St. 74 Eddy St is a multi-family dwelling house located on the corner of Washington St and Eddy St. The driveway of 74 Eddy St is on the Washington St side. Vehicle was faced easterly across the driveway. I observed Vehicle 1to have extensive damage to the entire vehicle including but not limited to the enclosed cab area, cab roof and all windows, front end, rear end, along with both driver and passenger side. I also observed city of Newton owned concrete traffic light resting on top of the cab area of Vehicle 1. Upon further observation of Vehicle 1 it appears that both front tires and rims were flat, heavily damaged and had little to no tread left. Both front tires were worn down to the interior steel belt. I also observed that Vehicle 1 did not have a valid inspection sticker. Located to the immediate front of Vehicle 1 and resting on the front end was a white fence which had damage consistent with the impact of a motor vehicle. Immediately to the driver's side of Vehicle 1 was Vehicle 2 described as a 2007 gray Subaru Forester (MA Reg 45D610. Vehicle 2 was facing westerly across the driveway. Vehicle 2 had extensive damage to the driver's side front end, rear end, in addition to the entire driver and passenger sides. At this time Vehicle 2's drivers door was in contact with Vehicle 1's drivers door. Both drivers doors could not be opened.The damage to Vehicle 2 appeared to be consistent with impact from another motor vehicle. To immediate passenger side of the Vehicle 2 I observed Vehicle 3 described as a 2011 Toyota Rav4 color black (MA Reg 47XB99). Vehicle was facing in an easterly direction across the driveway. I observed the Vehicle 3 to have extensive damage to driver's side rear quarter panel, passenger side front quarter panel and front end. Also observed was damage to south east corner of the dwelling of 74 Eddy St. This area of the dwelling is located adjacent to the drive way. The damage appeared consistent with the impact caused by a motor vehicle. Also observed were large amounts of debris located in the area of the crash which included the sidewalk, yard and the driveway of 74 Eddy St. The debris included pieces of concrete which appeared to have been dislodged from the concrete light pole. A city of Newton no parking sign was lying in the yard of 74 Eddy St. This parking sign would have been attached to the concrete light pole due to ongoing road construction on Washington St. I also observed two tire marks on a curb stone located next the westbound lane of Washington St. These tire marks were in front of the residence of 74 Eddy St and were to the immediate left of a storm drain. The tire marks were consistent with being struck by a motor vehicle. In between the tire marks and just after the curb there was a hole in the ground with wires sticking out of it. This hole appears to be the location the concrete light pole was located prior to impact. Tire marks were located on Washington St traveling from the east bound lane easterly across the westbound lane and ending at the tire marks on the curb. The total length of the tire marks was approximately 190 feet. After conducting an on scene investigation it appears that Vehicle 1 from the start of the tire mark in eastbound travel lane of Washington St traveled 190 feet in the easterly direct across the westbound lane of Washington St and impacted the curb in front of 74 Eddy St. The tire marks had lateral striations almost the entire length indicating that the front tires were rolling and sliding with little to no braking prior to impact with the curb. After impact with the curb Vehicle 1 exited the roadway, struck a concrete light pole. Vehicle 1 then traveled over a sidewalk, across the yard of 74 Eddy St and into the driveway of 74 Eddy St. Located in the driveway of 74 Eddy St were Vehicle 2 and Vehicle 3. Vehicle 2 was parked facing toward the rear of 74 Eddy St. Vehicle 3 located to the passenger side of Vehicle 2 and was parked facing towards Washington St. When Vehicle 1 entered the driveway it struck Vehicle 2. The force of the impact of Vehicle 1 striking Vehicle 2 caused Vehicle 2 to strike Vehicle 3. The force of the impact of Vehicle 2 striking Vehicle 3 caused Vehicle 3 to strike the southeast corner of the dwelling located at 74 Elliot St. Vehicle 1 continued across the drive way and struck a white fence before coming to final rest. Vehicle traveled a approximately 55 feet from when it initially struck to the curb till final rest. No other injuries were reported on scene. All involved vehicles were towed from the scene by Tody's Towing. After the investigation the operator of Vehicle 1 Kyle Butler was issued Citations T2015882 and T2015883 for: Mgl 90/24/O Recklass Operation of a Motor Vehicle Mgl 89/4B/A Failure to Operate in the Right Lane Mgl 90/20 Failure to Submit a Motor Vehicle for Inspection Mgl 90/7 Defective Equipment (worn front tire treads) Mgl 90/13A Failure to wear a seatbelt An immediate threat form was also filed with the MA RMV. Please see incident report #200440 regarding charges.

On Tuesday, November 23, 2021, while assigned to Traffic unit N525, I was asked to investigate a past hit and run crash involving a City of Newton School Traffic Supervisor. Mr. Mark Dumoulin reported to the Newton Police Traffic Bureau that sometime during his assigned school crossing post on the morning of November 23, 2021, a passing vehicle made contact with his left leg while he was crossing children on Ward Street. I responded to Newton Wellesley Hospital to speak with Mr. Dumoulin. Mr. Dumoulin stated this morning, he was at his assigned school crossing post of Ward Street and Waverly Avenue in his official capacity as a City of Newton School Traffic Supervisor. Mr. Dumoulin stated he was wearing his department issued yellow reflective jacket and his department issued yellow hi-vis gloves. Mr. Dumoulin stated he also had his department issued stop sign with him while performing his duties. Mr. Dumoulin stated at some point during his post (0745-0830 hours), he was attempting to cross two children on Ward Street (S to N). Mr. Dumoulin stated he entered the crosswalk of Ward Street on the NE corner of Ward Street at Waverly Avenue. Mr. Dumoulin stated the pedestrian signal was activated at this time and the intersection traffic signals were all red. Mr. Dumoulin stated while entering the crosswalk, he observed a black Honda sedan traveling on Stuart Road (E) towards the intersection of Ward Street and Waverly Avenue. Mr. Dumoulin stated the license plate had 3 characters on it and believes the first letter may have been "E". Mr. Dumoulin stated the operator was a heavy set female with blonde hair in her 30's or 40's. Mr. Dumoulin stated the operator appeared to speed up towards his location to beat the light turning red. Mr. Dumoulin stated the vehicle then continued through the intersection onto Hammond Street (E), but it did not keep right with the normal flow of traffic and entered the Westbound lane of Hammond Street. Mr. Dumoulin stated he attempted to get the operators attention to stop her from continuing in the wrong lane of Hammond Street. Mr. Dumoulin stated at this time, the vehicle made contact with his left knee area and continued traveling down Hammond Street with out stopping. Mr. Dumoulin stated the children he was crossing were not near the vehicle and they did not see the contact. I asked Mr. Dumoulin if there were any other witnesses in the area. Mr. Dumoulin stated he does not believe there were. Mr. Dumoulin reported this collision to the Newton Police Traffic Bureau at approximately 1030 hours. I asked Mr. Dumoulin why he did not contact us when the incident first took place. Mr. Dumoulin stated he thought his injury was superficial and that he knew we were busy. At this time, Mr. Dumoulin is reporting a left knee injury as a result of the crash. Mr. Dumoulin stated vehicles travel on the wrong side of the medium on Hammond Street all the time and estimates it happens 3 times every school post. Mr. Dumoulin also stated the keep right sign on Hammond Street near the crash site needs to be addressed because some of the letters are peeling. I canvassed the area where the crash occurred for the fleeing vehicle with a negative result. I also covered the afternoon school post (1450-1535 hours) to ask passing students if they witnessed the crash with a negative result. I observed the "Keep Right" sign Mr. Dumoulin made mention of at this location. The sign appears to be in working condition and visible from Stuart Road. I took photos of the intersection where the crash happened and submitted them to the IT Bureau. On November 24, 2021, I covered Mr. Duboulin's school crossing post again for the morning post. While canvassing the area I observed a dark colored Mercedez sedan with a 3 character registration parked on Exmoor Street that resembled the vehicle Mr. Duboulin described as the fleeing vehicle. I attempted to contact the registered owner of this vehicle, Ms. Judtich Zukor. Ms. Zukor stated she could not speak at this moment and asked me to call her back. I will follow up with Ms. Zukor.

Witnesses at the scene informed me that MV#1 was traveling west on Commonwealth Ave in the area of #2102 when MV#2, who was traveling east on Commonwealth Ave in the same area crossed the yellow line and crashed into MV#1. The operator of MV#1 was upset and sitting in MV#1 when I interviewed her and only stated that her left hip hurt. Operator #1 refused medical treatment at that time and wanted to wait for her mother to arrive before making any decisions. The operator of MV#2 stated that he was traveling east on Commonwealth Ave in the area of #2102 in the left hand lane when a pedestrian appeared in the roadway. According to operator #2, he cut his steering wheel to the left to avoid the pedestrian and struck MV#1. No tows and only a minor injury to the operator of MV#1, though she did not want to be evaluated by the medics. Two independent witnesses to the crash gave me similar statements that operator #2 had driven on the wrong side of the road prior to the crash and was operating at a high rate of speed. Operator #2 cited for failure to obey signage. Only after I completed this report, was I notified by Cheryl Petitti, the mother of Marisa Petitti that Marisa was not operating MV#1 at the time of the crash and that she may have been struck by MV#2. I re-interviewed both witnesses and they confirmed that Marisa was in fact the pedestrian crossing the street, which I did not know, but they did not witness her being struck by MV#2 due to their view being obstructed. Cheryl Petitti also states that she was contacted by another witness, who had left prior to my arrival, that has information to provide. At this time I will notify the Traffic Bureau of a possible Auto Pedestrian to be further investigated.