Backhoe Falls on Minivan in Mass. Killing 1, Injuring 3

SOUTHBORO -- A woman was killed and a Westford woman and two children were seriously injured on Interstate 495 on Friday when a backhoe being towed by a National Grid truck fell on top of the victims' minivan, state police said.

At 4:30 p.m., emergency crews at the crash scene on I-495 southbound, south of Simarano Drive (Exit 23C), were still trying to extricate the body of the deceased woman, in her 60s, from the crushed minivan. Her identity is being withheld by police at this time.

According to the preliminary report of Trooper Craig Brabham, a 2010 Freightliner truck being operated by Jeffrey Fisher, 49, of Coventry, R.I., a National Grid supervisor, was towing a 2007 Case backhoe on a trailer, when the backhoe rolled off of the trailer and landed on top of a 2000 Toyota Sienna being operated by a 42-year-old Westford woman. The Toyota and backhoe rolled down a 20-foot embankment and came to rest with the backhoe atop the minivan, with its four occupants trapped inside, the trooper said.

The operator of the Toyota was transported by medical helicopter to UMass Medical Center. Two children, ages 10 to 12, who were also passengers in the Toyota, were transported by ambulance to UMass Medical Center, Brabham reported.

Fisher, the truck driver, was not injured. According to published reports, Fisher said he was driving his truck in the center lane of 495 southbound when he felt the trailer begin to fishtail shortly before the accident.

The two right travel lanes and breakdown lane of 495 southbound remained closed as nighttime approached, creating a lengthy traffic backup in the area.

The crash remains under investigation by Troop C of the Massachusetts State Police with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section. Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Westboro and Southboro Fire Departments and state Highway Department workers.

Criminal charges may be filed, depending on the outcome of the investigation, a state police spokesman said.