A tragic accident occurred in Boston’s Back Bay this morning that claimed the life of a young woman. At about 7:00 AM this morning, Friday August 7th, a woman in her 20’s was riding her bicycle near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Beacon Street when she was struck and killed by an 18 wheeler truck. Officials responding to the scene have deemed it a hit-and-run accident, but have stated that they believe the driver of the truck may not have been aware that he had struck a pedestrian.
According to initial reports that have been released thus far, the female victim, whose name has not been disclosed at this time, was struck by the rear wheel of the flatbed truck operated by the unidentified driver. Police have since released an image captured by a city traffic camera that depicts the truck in question and has called for the help of the general public in an effort to identify the driver. The 18 wheeler is described as having a red sleeper cab which will likely have a dent in its chrome grill. The truck was also hauling a flatbed trailer attachment that was carrying a load of steel—the rear wheel of which struck the young woman and caused her fatal injuries.
Following the accident, a man who witnessed the event ran into a nearby convenience store and asked the man working there, Kenneth Francis, to telephone the police. Francis, an employee of Quality Mart, alerted the authorities and then ran outside to assess the situation. He has said that he saw the woman lying face down and her bicycle was lying on the sidewalk nearby. When officials arrived on scene, they blocked off the sidewalk with police tape and placed indicators around the woman’s bicycle. The woman was immediately rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital and was pronounced dead a short time after her admittance. Initial reports have stated that along with her bicycle, which had been crushed during the accident, a helmet could be seen lying nearby as well. However, the extent and severity of her issues has not been disclosed at this time.
Police Superintendent Bernard O’Rourke has called the accident “tragic” and has said that the intersection where this took place is extremely busy. They are hoping to positively identify the driver of the 18 wheeler truck in order to amass more information about the accident. Police have also been collecting surveillance footage recorded in nearby areas in an attempt to locate the truck in question and where the driver may have went following the accident.
Bike riding in and around Boston is very popular during the summertime. Drivers need to be aware that they are sharing the road with bicyclists. Seeing what happened in the Back Bay this morning is again a reminder to everyone to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Our Boston injury lawyers have handled bike accident cases for over 50 years, if you have been involved in an accident or know someone who may need legal assistance, give us a call for a free consultation.
Additional information, as well as images of the truck in question, may be found at the following links: http://www.wcvb.com/news/back-bay-bicycle-crash-under-investigation/34592278
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/08/07/bicyclist-killed-by-truck-in-back-bay-hit-and-run/