Carole Lawton, 68, killed and David Lawton, 67, injured in head-on collision with tractor trailer on Route 2 in Athol, Massachusetts

Modified Date: 
Mon, 05/18/2015 - 1:43pm
Accident Date: 
Thursday, August 14, 2014

1 dead, 1 seriously injured in head-on collision with tractor-trailer on Rt. 2 in Athol

Anyone who witnessed the accident is asked to call the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office at 413-774-3186.

Police looking for witnesses to fatal Route 2 accident in Athol; no charges filed yet against driver

She said witnesses told police that a blue Hyundai heading east attempted to pass a car on the right using the breakdown lane when it clipped the Lawtons’ Prius, causing it to go out of control and cross over into the westbound lane.
A 68-year old Arlington woman died of injuries suffered Thursday in a head-on collision between a Toyota Prius with a tractor trailer on Route 2 in Athol, according to Massachusetts State Police. The woman, identified as Carole Lawton, was pronounced dead at Athol Memorial Hospital, police said. The driver of her car, a 67-year-old man also from Arlington, suffered serious injuries in the crash. He was initially transported to Athol Memorial but has since been transferred to UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester. Police were not releasing his name Thursday night. The accident occurred at about 3 p.m. on Route 2 near exit 17 on Route 2. According to the preliminary investigation, a 2013 Hyundai, driven by a 25-year-old woman from Shirley, attempted to pass on the right in the break-down lane. The Hyundai came in contact with two other cars, including the Prius. The Prius then went out of control, crossed the center line and went into the path of a tractor trailer, police said. The accident closed both lanes of Route 2 for nearly five hours. The Athol police and fire departments assisted at the scene as did the Massachusetts Department of Highways. No other injures were reported. The driver of the Hyundai is being interviewed with investigators, and it was unclear if any charges would be filed before Friday, police said. The accident is under investigation by the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, and the state police Collision Analysis Reconstruction, Crime Scene Services, and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement sections.
People Involved: 
Carole Lawton
David Lawton
Roadway: 
Route 2
City: 
Athol, MA
Area: 
Boston, MA

Comments

I drive that road on a regular basis and there is no way she could have thought that that was a travel lane. She apparently thought that it was more important for her to get to where she was going and that everybody should have gotten out of HER way. It would be interesting to see the results of blood work that was hopefully taken that day. The poor driver of the truck had to have his blood work tested to prove he wasn't under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. The drivers on the road today have any consideration for anybody. Personally I blame the driving schools for a lot of it apparently they teach them that MERGE and YIELD mean the same thing because they pull right out in front of people coming off the ramps and they feel it's your job to get out of their way. The whole accident could have been avoided had she had some consideration for someone else. apparently wherever she was going was important enough to her that it didn't matter who she killed on the way. Remember that car was the second one she hit not the first. Stupid Stupid, Stupid, Stupit. Hopefully she will go to jail and never be able to sit in the drivers seat of an automobile again, and thinking about it haunt her forever. Makes me sick.

So are they ever going to update this already???

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