May 8 — A delivery truck struck five vehicles at Commonwealth Avenue and Babcock Street before continuing to Packard’s Corner, hitting three more cars and bursting into flames on Brighton Avenue, around 7:15 Thursday morning, causing delays for commuters and students heading to finals.
Three people were brought to local hospitals with non-serious injuries. Though the Boston Police Department Hazardous Material team responded to the scene because the truck was carrying medical supplies, the cargo was found to be non-hazardous.
A black pick-up truck was pushed onto T tracks at Babcock Street, shutting down Green Line inbound and outbound service for three hours. Boston University Police Department Sgt. Larry Manning said the delivery truck hit a Land Rover at Brighton Avenue with such force that the vehicle flew across the street and into the window of Comm. Ave. Associates, a real estate office.
“A friend of mine from Boston Police Mobile Operations told me, ‘Larry, I’ve been on 27 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,'” Manning said.
BUPD Sgt. Jack St. Hilaire said the delivery truck was from New England Delivery Service. New England Delivery Service, a Wilmington-based company, had no comment on the accidents or the truck driver who caused them.
The T started up again at 10:40 a.m. after officials removed the pickup truck stuck in the fence between tracks, inspected the tracks and repaired the fence, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said.
Scott Waltzman, owner of Images and Frames, Inc., on Commonwealth Avenue, said after the truck burst into flames, the driver went into his store to use the phone.
“He didn’t look like he was hurt at all,” he said. “I heard someone say he had a heart attack; he didn’t have a heart attack. I was talking to the guy, trust me, he didn’t have a heart attack.”
Maria Bonet, who works at the UPS Store on Commonwealth Avenue, said she and the other workers were not allowed into the store until after 2 p.m., but said the scene was panicky with people discovering their damaged vehicles. She said the pole outside the store had a car smashed into it, “flattened like a pancake.” Consulting a truck accident attorney is essential for those affected by commercial vehicle accidents. These attorneys specialize in handling complex cases involving large trucks, working to secure fair compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages resulting from the accident.
“When I first got here, I asked a girl, oh my God, was anyone was hurt? She turns around and tells me, that’s my car,” she said. “People were standing around going, oh God, that’s my car.”
Chris Bove of Comm. Ave. Associates said nobody was in the office at the time of the accident, but they were alerted when the security alarm went off.
“The police already said it was the driver’s fault this happened,” he said. “Our insurance will pay for this.”
BU alerted students of the accident and delays through email and the Student Link, advising students to plan accordingly when commuting to final exams. The Send Word Now emergency alert system was not used.
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