Local News

5 young adults killed in wrong-way crash on I-495

One of the vehicles involved in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 495 in Middleborough was seen at a tow lot after being removed from the scene. George Rizer for The Boston Globe

By Kristi Palma and Meagan McGinnes

October 24, 2016

2 minutes to read

Five young adults were killed after a driver going the wrong way on I-495 in Middleborough slammed head-on into another car early Monday morning, according to authorities.

The crash occurred near Exit 3 just after midnight, when a driver going southbound on the northbound side of the highway crashed into a car with four people, according to police. The car containing four people was “engulfed in fire” after it was hit and everyone in that car died, said Anthony Thomas, commander of State Police Troop D, during a press conference Monday morning. The driver of the wrong-way car was also killed.

“It was a horrific scene,” Thomas said.

The wrong-way driver, identified as a 31-year-old woman from Fall River, was responsible for the crash, Thomas said. Investigators do not believe she was traveling on the highway for a long period of time, he said. He would not comment on whether alcohol, drugs, or speed played a factor in the crash, saying it would be premature. The driver going the correct way did not have time to avoid her, Thomas said.

“On behalf of the state police, I’d like to express our condolences and sadness to the families of the five young adults who lost their lives last night in this terrible crash,” he said.

The other vehicle involved was driven by a 20-year-old man from Paxton and Osterville. His passengers were a 19-year-old Hyannis man, a 19-year-old Harwich man, and an 18-year-old man from West Babylon, New York. All four were students at Massachusetts colleges, according to police. The names of the victims are expected to be released Tuesday, but The Boston Globe identified two of the victims Monday night as Kraig Diggs, 20, and Jordan Galvin-Dutras, 19, both second-year students at Anna Maria College. The Paxton college released a brief statement Monday night, and the Cape Cod fire, rescue, and emergency services department where Galvin interned last year posted a remembrance on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/1462799480608067/photos/a.1555415174679830.1073741837.1462799480608067/1861012897453388/?type=3&theater

“They were young,” Thomas said. “They were young adults. It’s extremely sad.”

The crash closed the northbound side of the highway for several hours. Police said they are still investigating how the driver ended up on the wrong side of the highway, as well as if there were any contributing factors to her “erratic operation.”