Somerset man dead, Fall River man seriously injured in Route 79 wrong way crash

According to Massachusetts State Police, this morning at approximately 10:02 a.m., troopers from the State Police Barracks in Dartmouth responded to reports of a wrong-way driver crash on Route 79 northbound at North Main Street in Fall River.

Upon arrival, Trooper Michael Halstead discovered that a 2003 Nissan Altima, driven by Raymond J. Martin, 75, of Somerset, was for reasons still under investigation, traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Route 79 in Fall River, when his vehicle collided with a 2011 Ford Escape, driven by a 59-year-old man from Fall River.

Mr. Martin sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to Charlton Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced deceased as a result of those injuries. The driver of the Ford was transported to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries.

The remaining facts and circumstances of the crash are currently under investigation by troopers from the Dartmouth Barracks. Troop D Headquarters, State Police Crime Scene Services Section (CSSS), State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section (CARS), Fall River Fire Departments, and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Mass DOT) all assisted on scene.