Abington woman facing charge in Bristol County motorcycle crash that claimed life of activist

A Massachusetts woman is being charged after a motorcycle rider died after a two-vehicle crash in Bristol County last year.

According to police, at just after 5:45 p.m. on March 29 of 2023, Easton Police Officers responded to 479 Turnpike Street (Route 138) for a motor vehicle crash involving a motorcycle.

Upon arrival, Officers located a motorcyclist lying in the roadway suffering from traumatic injuries. An Easton Police Officer performed CPR on the man along with a passerby until the Easton Fire Department arrived on scene. The motorcyclist was identified as 39-year-old Clark Grant of Taunton. Clark was treated by Easton Firefighters and transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, MA where he later succumbed to the injuries he sustained.

The preliminary investigation revealed that Clark was traveling southbound on Turnpike Street on a Honda motorcycle. In the area of 479 Turnpike Street, just south of the intersection with Foundry Street, a Grand Jeep Cherokee exiting a parking lot entered the roadway in a northbound direction and collided with Clark’s motorcycle. The Grand Jeep Cherokee was being operated by a 40-year-old and was also occupied by a 9-year-old passenger. Both were uninjured in the crash.

According to Boston.com, 42-year-old Jennifer Fortes was charged Monday with motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation. Grant was reportedly riding between 46-48 mph and did not have enough time to avoid the collision, however, Fortes’s failure to yield to Grant and her decision to take a left turn at the time was “unreasonable.”

Grant was the husband of Boston activist Monica Cannon-Grant. Both were indicted in 2023 for allegedly defrauding the City of Boston out of COVID-19 relief funds and rental assistance money, however, Clark Grant’s charges were dismissed due to his death.

Monica Cannon-Grant issued a statement after Fortes was charged.

“We are relieved to see that charges have been brought against the individual responsible for his death. However, nothing can alleviate the profound loss that our family has experienced and the heartbreak our boys face in losing their father so tragically and prematurely. 

“Our family continues to navigate through immense grief, and we find solace in the hope that justice will prevail.”