Man in Wheelchair Struck and Killed by Pickup Truck

Police Credit: 7News/WHDH.com

A pedestrian, in a wheelchair, was struck and killed by a pickup truck while crossing the street Saturday afternoon, according to Chelmsford Police Chief James M. Spinney.

Chelmsford Police were summoned shortly after 3 Saturday afternoon to the intersection of Old Westford Road and the Drum Hill Traffic Square for a motor vehicle accident involving a man in a wheelchair.

Officers and emergency medical personnel evaluated the man, and a medical helicopter was requested because of the severity of the victim’s injuries. However, the victim was too unstable, and the helicopter was cancelled, according to authorities.

The victim was transported by ambulance to Lowell General Hospital where he died at approximately 5 p.m., police said.

The victim was a 72-year-old man from Boston who was visiting family in Chelmsford.

“This is a tragic situation involving the loss of life in our community,” Chief Spinney said in a statement. “On behalf of the entire Town of Chelmsford, my most sincere condolences go out to the victim’s family during this incredibly difficult time.”

The investigation is in its preliminary stages, but at this point it appears that the victim was using the crosswalk when he was struck, however it is not known if the victim had the “safe to cross” light.

The Massachusetts State Police Reconstruction Team, along with the Chelmsford Police Department Accident Unit investigated.

The vehicle that struck the victim was a Ford pickup truck. The driver, a 45-year-old man from Hudson, N.H. cooperated with police. Alcohol and drugs are not suspected. No charges have been filed at this time.

The name of the victim is not being released at this time. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office was notified and is overseeing the death investigation.