About 12 years ago a Massachusetts man led a police chase through five towns before he crashed his father’s car in Norwood, Massachusetts, according to police. That high-speed chase apparently only resulted in damage to a fence. The results of what appears to have been a repeat performance Saturday on Cape Cod.
However, the results of Saturday’s chase turned out far more grim as police say that the Cambridge man led police on a chase through two Cape towns before he was involved in a seven-car pileup near a Chatham, Massachusetts ice cream shop. One man was killed and several people suffered personal injuries in the chase-ending car accident.
A police officer in Harwich says that he saw a man stumbling out of a hotel Saturday evening. The man got into a Range Rover and drove away. The officer says that he noted the Rover driving onto a lawn where the officer tried to stop the man from continuing to drive.
The officer says that the Cambridge man drove the Rover toward the officer, who was standing outside his police cruiser. From that point, the chase was apparently on.
The officer says that the Rover fled down Route 28, eventually leading to a car accident in front of the ice cream parlor. The Rover slammed into a pedestrian before slamming into parked cars, injuring four people. Among the injured were two children. The 62-year-old man who was struck while walking was killed in the pedestrian accident, according to police.
Police say that the man was driving drunk at the time of the ordeal. He faces several charges, with more expected as the investigation continues. The man is being held without bail pending further court proceedings.
Criminal charges are an important concept in our court system. However, the issues concerning the court in a criminal case are aimed at overall violations of public laws. Victims of a car accident may be able to seek justice in civil court, separate from cases brought by the government in criminal court. An accident victim, or the family of a fatal accident victim, may wish to consult with legal counsel about what justice may be available for the victims in a civil court action.
Source: Boston Herald, “Driver accused in Cape crash lost license in ’09,” Christine McConville, Richard Weir and O’Ryan Johnson, July 16, 2013; 7 News WHDH, “Driver in deadly Cape Cod crash held without bail,” Benjamin Shealey, July 15, 2013
