Massachusetts State Police investigating after one is dead and another injured after a fiery fatal wrong-way highway crash

One person is dead and another injured after a fiery multi-vehicle Massachusetts highway collision.

According to the Northborough Fire Department, at just before 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the Northborough Public Safety Communications Center received multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a serious motor vehicle crash on Interstate 290 eastbound prior to Exit 27 (Hudson Street/Solomon Pond Road). Initial reports indicated a head-on collision involving a wrong-way driver, with at least one vehicle on fire. NPSCC dispatched the Northborough Fire Department (NFD). 

At the time of the call, all on-duty NFD resources were committed to two overlapping emergency medical incidents. Recognizing the severity of the reported crash, the Shift Captain immediately requested mutual aid fire, rescue, and ambulance resources from the Berlin, Marlborough, and Westborough Fire Departments. 

The Shift Captain and one firefighter/paramedic were able to clear one of the calls quickly and respond in Engine 1, while NFD Medic 2 cleared the hospital and responded directly to the scene. Updated reports indicated multiple injuries and at least one trapped occupant. 

Engine 1 arrived to find two passenger vehicles, later identified as a Subaru and a Jeep, with severe front-end damage. One vehicle was resting on its side, and both vehicles were fully involved in fire. Several Northborough Police Officers and Massachusetts State Police Troopers were already on scene attempting to extinguish the flames. 

Firefighters immediately initiated fire suppression operations while simultaneously searching the vehicles for occupants. They were joined shortly thereafter by personnel from the Berlin and Marlborough Fire Departments, along with additional NFD apparatus staffed by recalled off-duty personnel. 

The driver and sole occupant of one of the vehicles escaped prior to the arrival of emergency personnel. That individual was transported by NFD ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Despite the valiant efforts of police officers and firefighters, the driver and sole occupant of the second vehicle could not be rescued. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. 

Firefighters worked for approximately 30 minutes and utilized an estimated 2,000 gallons of water to extinguish the vehicle fires. Interstate 290 eastbound was closed at Exit 24 (Church Street) while members of the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and Crime Scene Services conducted their investigation. 

Following completion of the on-scene investigation, Northborough firefighters spent nearly one hour utilizing hydraulic rescue tools to extricate the deceased victim from the vehicle. The victim was subsequently removed and transported by the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. 

All Northborough Fire Department units cleared the scene, and Interstate 290 eastbound was reopened at approximately 1:00 a.m. 

The crash remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.