2 Essex County Residents In The Hospital After Crashes

BEVERLY, MA — Two major crashes Wednesday caused significant delays and sent at least two Essex County residents to the hospital in with life-threatening injuries, according to police.

A tractor-trailer rollover onto a car shut down I-495 near Littleton and a crash involving a wrong-way driver created severe backups on I-95 in Boxford. (There were also a fatal crash on Route 79 in Fall River this morning.)

Heading into New Year's, temperatures will dip even further into subzero territory across Massachusetts and more snow is on the way. Please be careful out there.

Rollover on I-495

A 41-year-old Salisbury man rescued from his car when a tractor-trailer rolled over over on top of it is fighting for his life. The crash in Littleton shut down I-495 for hours Wednesday afternoon and created delays that will persist into the evening. Read more here.

State Police said a Ford Focus was changing lanes on 495 South near Exit 31 in Littleton around 2:40 p.m. when he collided with the tractor-trailer carrying home heating oil. The driver of the tractor-trailer attempted to brake and avoid a collision, but both vehicles drove off the road, with the trailer rolling onto the Focus.

Police pulled the Salisbury man from the Focus. He was flown to UMass Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, a 52-year-old Gardner man, was driven to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

About 10,000 gallons of heating oil leaked from the truck, according to emergency radio broadcasts. There was reportedly a Level 3 hazmat response.

Wrong-way crash on I-95 South

State Police said that around 1:30 p.m. a 54-year-old Bradford woman was driving on I-95 North when her 2015 Jeep Cherokee, for reasons still unknown, crossed the median into the southbound lanes. The Jeep sideswiped a 2018 Nissan Altima driven by a 68-year-old man from Naples, FL, and struck a 2015 Toyota Corolla driven by a 32-year-old Everett man. Read more here.

Both sides of I-95 were shut down when a medical helicopter landed to bring the woman driving the Jeep to Boston Medical Center. Police said she sustained life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the Toyota and passenger of the Nissan went to Beverly Hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the Nissan was not injured.

Related:
Massachusetts Weather Forecast: -25 Wind Chill; More Snow Incoming

Photo courtesy police.