A second person has died after a fatal crash on Interstate 495 that involved five cars, including one pulling a trailer and another person outside their vehicle in Raynham on Tuesday, police say.
At around 7:15 a.m. on Nov. 9, Massachusetts State Police Troopers responded to a multiple-vehicle crash around exit 22. Lauren Dyer, 62, of Braintree, who was driving a pickup truck, was pronounced dead at the scene after being crushed between two vehicles.
Another driver, Christopher Sheppard, who was hit while on foot outside his vehicle, died Tuesday night in a Rhode Island Hospital, authorities say. He was transported to the hospital after the incident with severe injuries.
After investigation, state police determined that on Tuesday morning before the crash, a 28-year-old Halifax man was driving a 1985 Peterbilt tractor — owned by Collins Crane and Rigging in East Bridgewater — at slow speed within the right lane and breakdown lane. The vehicle was being followed by a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado pickup also owned by the company and operated by a company mechanic, identified as Sheppard, 57, of East Bridgewater.
Before the crash, the men detached a trailer from the tractor because they thought they saw a possible mechanical problem with his vehicle.
While continuing down the road at a low speed, police say one of the tractor’s passenger-side axles became dislodged causing the axle and tandem wheels to roll into the travel lanes. At this time, the tractor’s driver, who has not been named by police, and Sheppard both stopped their vehicles.
As Sheppard got out of his truck and walked into the road to get the axle and wheels, other vehicles began to stop, police say. Soon after, a 1998 Volvo tractor — owned by Truckah LLC of Easton and operated by a 23-year-old East Raynham man — hit a Toyota Tacoma that was being driven by Dyer, pushing her car into the tractor and the Silverado truck that was stopped in front of her.
The Tacoma was crushed between the two vehicles and the impact pushed the Silverado into Sheppard who was still outside trying to grab the dislodged axle.
Dyer suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene by police. Sheppard suffered severe injuries and was transported via medical helicopter to a Rhode Island Hospital where passed away Tuesday night, according to authorities.
The drivers of the Volvo tractor, a 23-year-old Raynham man, and the Peterbilt tractor were both transported by EMS to local hospitals for evaluation of possible minor injuries.
Another vehicle also sustained minor damage in the incident, but its operator, a 47-year-old Plymouth woman, had no apparent injuries, according to authorities.
An investigation into the incident to determine whether criminal charges are warranted is ongoing and includes crash reconstruction, examination and analysis of physical and forensic evidence, commercial vehicle inspections and witness interviews.