Man who fled from traffic stop, crashes his vehicle into someone’s front yard

COHASSET — Chief William Quigley reports that the Cohasset Police Department charged a man who fled a traffic stop and crashed his vehicle in the front yard of a home in Scituate last night.

At about 9:50 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 2, Cohasset Police received a 911 call reporting an erratic driver on North Main Street traveling toward the Scituate town line.

Soon after the call, an officer observed the vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road and driving erratically and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver, later identified as Dion Smith, 31, of Dorchester, fled and continued south on Main Street into Scituate, where he crashed into a tree and came to a stop in a front yard on Country Way.

Cohasset Police provided first aid to the driver until Scituate Fire Department paramedics arrived. Smith was transported by the Scituate Fire Department to South Shore Hospital with injuries that are serious but not life-threatening.

Smith was charged with Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Suspended License for OUI, Failure to Stop for a Police Officer, Speeding, and Marked Lanes Violation.

The case remains under investigation and additional charges may be forthcoming.