UPDATE: Mansfield Teen Dies in Crash on Route 24 in West Bridgewater

The following is an update from the Massachusetts State Police 4:15 p.m.:

Please be advised that we are not identifying the victims who died yesterday in the crash on Route 24. We are still awaiting confirmation of the identity of the driver of the suspected wrong-way vehicle, believed to be a 19-year-old Mansfield woman. We will release the names of all crash victims once we received confirmation of that driver’s identity.

Troop D patrols responded to the crash at 3:55 a.m. Sunday after we began to receive calls from other motorists reporting a wrong-way driver, travelling south on the northbound side of Route 24, north of Exit 16, in West Bridgewater.
Patrols found four vehicles involved, the wrong way vehicle and three others it had struck, one of which had burst into flames.
Debris from the impact was thrown across both sides of the highway, necessitating the closure of the entire highway.

The suspected wrong-way operator was driving a 2010 Toyota Corolla. We believe the driver was a 19-year-oldMansfield woman, but formal identification should be made by tomorrow. The Corolla rolled over after striking the pickup truck head on, and then may have been struck by another vehicle. The operator suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead on-scene.

The vehicle that caught fire was a 1999 GMC pickup operated by a 44-year-old man from Tiverton, R.I.. His passenger was a 42-year-old woman, also from Tiverton. The male was trapped in the burning vehicle and was deceased at the scene. The woman escaped from the vehicle. Preliminary reports were that she had minor injuries.

The third vehicle involved was a 2002 Chevy Tahoe operated by a 36-year-old man from Brooklyn, N.Y. He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton with non-life threatening injuries.

The fourth vehicle was a 2003 Chevy Cavalier operated by a 66-year-old Swansea man. He was also transported to Good Samaritan for evaluation of possible minor injuries.

The facts and circumstances of the crash, including why and how the Corolla's driver got onto Route 24 going the wrong way, remain under investigation by Troop D of the State Police and our Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS). CARS is in the process of analyzing physical evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to and during the crash. 

Southbound lanes were opened first, by 7:00 a.m., and northbound was entirely opened at 10:25 a.m.

David Procopio

Massachusetts State Police

Office of Media Relations

(508) 820-2622

2:57 p.m.

Massachusetts State Police are investigating a three car double fatal crash on the Easton border in West Bridgewater on route 24. One of tne of the fatalities is believed to be a 19-year-old Mansfield woman, MSP said.

The woman was prounounced dead on the scene after reportedly crashing into oncoming traffic. State police said that the woman's 2010 Toyota Corolla was allegedly going the wrong way on an onramp to Route 24 North in West Bridgewater around 4 a.m.

State police said that the names of both victims have not yet been released per their families' wishes.

One other fatality in the crash was a 44-year-old man from Tiverton Rhode Island, who was killed when the Corolla allegedly struck two other vehicles.