Police Reports Show Halloween Pedestrian Collisions in 12 Towns

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Halloween is often highlighted as one of the deadliest days of the year for pedestrians, as millions of costumed children and adults head outdoors across the country for trick-or-treating. The earlier October sunset, vision-blocking masks and often-rainy fall conditions only add to the danger.

Even in 2020 with the coronavirus pandemic halting traditional trick-or-treating, it's still a dangerous time for pedestrians. To evaluate how safe local roads are for trick-or-treaters, Patch asked police departments in a dozen communities between Natick and Worcester for accident reports involving pedestrians on each Halloween between 2009 and 2019.

The reports showed nine of the 12 communities had no accidents on Halloween over that decade, while the three biggest communities — Framingham, Marlborough and Worcester — had nine incidents between them.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which may mean trick-or-treaters will grab their candy before sun sets at 5:38 p.m. in Massachusetts. But it's important — especially for drivers — to keep safety in mind.

Here's are the accidents that occurred on Halloween over the last decade:

Worcester

Worcester had the highest number of Halloween pedestrian collisions, but is also the largest community we sought records from. Out of the five collisions, four involved teenagers or children, according to police reports.

In 2019, a 13-year-old was hit while trick-or-treating with his father and sister along Holden Street near Woods Avenue. The driver lost control of his car and drove onto a nearby lawn. The 13-year-old did not need to go to the hospital, and the driver was not cited, according to a police report.

In 2018, a 14-year-old was hit while crossing near Pilgrim Avenue and Cohasset Street. The teen was hurt and taken to UMass Memorial. The driver told police she didn't see the teen as she was making a left turn onto Cohasset Street. The police report did not indicate any charges for the driver.

READ: Why Worcester Sought To Move Halloween To Saturday

At around 8 p.m. in 2013, a 5-year-old girl was hit while crossing Forest Road. The driver told police the child ran out in front of her car. The girl was taken to UMass for injuries that were not considered life-threatening injuries.

In 2011, a 14-year-old was crossing Goddard Memorial Drive at around 10 a.m. when he was hit. The driver claimed the teen was running across the intersection near Apricot Street — but the pedestrian said he was walking on the crosswalk. The teen was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Framingham

The city has seen three pedestrian collisions on Halloween over the past decade — including one involving a child who was trick-or-treating.

In 2014, a 23-year-old man was the victim of a hit-and-run along Fountain Street near Pincushion Road. The man was bending over to pick up his cell phone just before 7 p.m. when he was hit from behind. The driver didn't stop, but the man was not injured.

Just after midnight on Halloween in 2011, two adults were hit while walking through the parking lot near the Best Buy at Shoppers World. The pedestrians were not injured.

"The operator stated to me that he observed the two pedestrians walking towards the crosswalk but looked away from the road for a second and the accident occurred," a police report read.

READ: Framingham Cancels Halloween Event, Urges Safety Precautions

In 2016, a group of children and adults were trying to cross Winter Street near Robert Road. When a 9-year-old boy entered the crosswalk, he was hit by a driver who told police she couldn't stop in time. An adult was in the crosswalk waving a flashlight to alert drivers that the trick-or-treaters were trying to stop.

The 9-year-old was taken to UMass Memorial in Worcester for treatment.

Marlborough

Marlborough has had one pedestrian accident over the past decade. In 2019, a woman was crossing in a crosswalk at Church and East Main streets when a driver hit her. According to a police report, the driver thought the woman — whose age was redacted in a police report — was going to stop. She was injured and taken to Marlborough Hospital. The driver was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

READ: Marlborough OKs Trick-Or-Treating As Coronavirus Cases Rise

The following communities have had zero pedestrian collisions on each Halloween over the past decade, but pedestrians are regularly hit each year. Here's the total number of pedestrian collisions between 2009 and 2019 for each one, according to MassDOT data: Ashland (32); Grafton (28); Milford (116); Natick* (98); Northborough (13); Shrewsbury (61); Sudbury (24); Wayland (18); Westborough (32).

*Natick did not respond to a public records request seeking Halloween pedestrian collision data.