Newton Crash That Injured 2 From Dedham: Fire Report Details Challenges Responders Faced

By ALEX NEWMAN (Patch Staff)

NEWTON, MA - New details have emerged about the immediate moments after a car crashed into the front of a Newton restaurant earlier this month.

The Newton Fire Department issued its official report on the March 1 accident that killed two and wounded seven.

Firefighters described a chaotic scene, as they responded to victims covered by debris, feared a gas leak might trigger an explosion and at one point searched for a missing baby.

One of the victims killed in the crash was trapped between the car and a pizza oven and did not show any clear signs of life, the report stated.

Both Eleanor Miele, 57, and Gregory Morin, 32, were pronounced dead at the scene. A 34-year-old and a 32-year-old male from Dedham were among seven injured.

The driver, later identified as Bradford Casler, was not seriously injured; at one point, a firefighter said he spoke to Casler and handed him off to a police officer.

Casler so far has not been charged, but his license has been suspended pending an investigation by Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.

Photo Credit: WHDH, 7-News