Police release name of driver killed in fatal New Year’s Eve crash this morning

Tragedy has struck on New Year’s Eve as a crash has claimed a life of a Massachusetts man.

According to Massachusetts State Police, at approximately 2:30 a.m. today, troopers assigned to State Police-Holden received reports of a motor vehicle crash with injuries on Route 290 Westbound at mile marker 12.6 in Shrewsbury. Troopers responded to that location along with Shrewsbury EMS.

Upon their arrival they discovered a 2002 Ford Focus that had been involved in a crash with the operator, Gary Pike, 83, of Billerica, suffering from serious injuries. He was transported to Umass Lakeside Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.

Preliminary investigation shows the vehicle was traveling Route 290 westbound when, for reasons that remain under investigation, the operator lost control and struck the guardrail. No other vehicles were involved in the crash and Pike was the sole occupant of the Focus.

The crash remains under investigation by Troop C of the Massachusetts State Police along with the Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section and Crime Scene Services Section. Troopers were assisted on scene by MassDOT.