At just after 6pm on Tuesday, March 4, the Rochester Police and Fire Department’s responded to a motor vehicle crash on Neck Road near the causeway at Snipatuit Pond. Initially there were three person’s injured in the crash of a vehicle that had hit a telephone pole with one of the parties being ejected from the vehicle. Medflight was called due to the severity of the injuries and NSTAR electric was called as the telephone pole had been broken off and was hanging by the wires. Patients had to be extricated from the vehicles prior to being transported to the hospital.
Early reports were that there was possibly a fourth person in the vehicle during the crash but that person was not found at the scene. Canine units were called to assist with the search for the fourth passenger. The State Police reconstruction team was also called to respond to the scene. Marion and Freetown EMS assisted with patients.
The Rochester Police Department issued this press release on March 5:
On Tuesday evening at approximately 5:55pm a Rochester Police officer was on routine patrol heading north on Neck Road on the causeway. He observed a vehicle headed southbound at an extremely high rate of speed. After passing the cruiser, the vehicle rounded a slight curve in the road and ran off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle became airborne, sheared off a telephone pole, and rolled over ejecting two of the three passengers.
The vehicle was occupied by three males from Middleboro ages 18, 19, and 20. Two of the occupants were transported to Rhode Island Hospital by ambulance, the third was airlifted to Mass General. All three were seriously injured. Police are withholding the victims names pending the notification of family.
Police received conflicting reports about a possible fourth passenger in the vehicle. A search was conducted involving a K-9 from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department, the SEMLEC Search and Rescue Team, and the State Police Airwing with negative results. Police and the Rochester Communications Dispatcher were later able to determine that there were only three occupants.
Rochester Police Chief Paul Mage said, “It was a violent high speed crash. The vehicle involved was completely destroyed.”
Neck Road was closed to traffic for 6 hours while Rochester Police Sergeant William Chamberlain, Officer Kevin Flynn, and the State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section investigated the crash. Power was out in the area as NSTAR crews waited for the vehicle to be removed.
Rochester Fire, Rochester EMS, Freetown EMS, Marion EMS, and the Rochester Highway Department all rendered services at the scene.