16-year-old boy killed after being ejected, then hit in Route 24 crash, police say
The driver of the car he was in swerved to avoid hitting a deer, setting off the fatal chain of events, according to officials.
A 16-year-old Taunton boy was killed after he was ejected from a car and later hit amid a three-vehicle crash on Route 24 in Freetown Thursday night, authorities said Friday.
The boy, who was not identified, was one of five people traveling northbound in a 2008 Mazda 5 hatchback when the driver swerved to avoid a deer around 8:40 p.m., according to a statement from Massachusetts State Police.
“The Mazda exited the western edge of the roadway and struck the median guardrail, causing the vehicle to rotate and roll over, coming to rest in the left travel lane,” officials said. “During this sequence of events, a 16-year-old male passenger from Taunton was ejected from the hatchback onto the roadway.”
At the same time, a man driving a 2018 Audi Q5 SUV in the left lane saw debris from the Mazda and hit his brakes, avoiding the boy, police said.
Similarly, a 31-year-old Boston man behind the wheel of a 2005 Saturn sedan, who was driving in the same direction, saw the wreckage and the stopped vehicles and also braked, according to authorities. But, he still struck the boy and the Audi Q5, police said.
The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. Police are withholding his name because he is a juvenile.
“The driver of the Mazda, a 38-year-old Taunton woman, and another passenger, a 21-year-old Taunton woman, were transported to Rhode Island Hospital by ambulance with injuries believed to be minor,” police said. “Two other passengers in the Mazda, an 11-year-old girl and a 4-year-old girl, both of Taunton, were transported by ambulance to Hasbro Children’s Hospital for evaluation and treatment of injuries believed to be minor.”
According to authorities, a 60-year-old Halifax man, who was the driver and only occupant of the Audi SUV, was not injured.
The driver of the Saturn, who was also alone, was brought to Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River with “injuries believed to be minor,” police said.
“All three vehicles were towed from the scene,” officials said.
Two lanes on Route 24 were closed until after 11 p.m. as first responders were on the scene. The crash remains under investigation, officials said Friday afternoon.
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