Mansfield Year-in-Review: A Tragic Day in June, Deadly Road Rage, New Public Safety/DPW Complex

On June 4, Mansfield experienced what was one of the most tragic and saddest days in recent history.

In the morning, police and truck drivers saved a woman from jumping off the Route 95 overpass; in the afternoon, 13-year-old Shane Farrell lost his life after he was hit by a bus; and later that day, an 8-month-old child was killed in a two-car crash.

Those stories would go on to become some of the most viewed posts on Mansfield Patch in 2015.

But it wasn’t all bad news in Mansfield in 2015. In December, a local woman helped reunite a Marine and his family for the first time in two years, voters approved a new Public Safety/Public Works complex, and Mansfield High School was named among the best in the state.

Even in tragedy, the town showed their best side, helping raise over $65,000 for the Farrell family to cover the cost of the teen’s funeral and create a scholarship fund in his honor.

“Mansfield has been known to rally around people from Relay for Life to the soldiers that die, they rally around and that’s why Mansfield is such a strong community,” Selectmen Chairman George Dentino said at a meeting later that day.

Here are the top 10 stories for 2015 on Mansfield Patch:

1. Mansfield Teen Killed in Bus Accident, 8-Month-Old Dies in Crash on the Same Day - On a sunny day in June, a pair of accidents took two young lives. First, a 13-year-old named Shane Farrell was killed after he fell into East Street and was hit by a bus. The tragedy affected everyone in town and was part of a day that saw a woman attempt to jump off the Route 95 overpass and a second fatal crash. If there was a silver lining, it was the outpouring of support from the town in the form of donations to help the family and residents lining up outside his church to release red balloons as the funeral line traveled to his final resting place. Later that day, an 8-month old was killed in a two-car crash. After police and fire crews responded, the mother and her child were transported to Good Samaritan Hospital before the child received a MedFlight to Boston Children’s Hospital for treatment for possible internal injuries. Due to the injuries from the crash, the child did not survive.
2. Woman Attempts Suicide on Highway Overpass - On the same June day that took the lives of two, one woman jumped was saved after jumping from a highway overpass. According to Mansfield police, the distraught woman scaled the safety fence and maneuvered herself onto the edge of the bridge directly above Route 95. Two truck drivers stopped their tractor trailers in the high speed and middle lanes directly below the female in an attempt to stop traffic and prevent her from striking the highway.
   
3. Norton Man Charged in Fatal Road Rage Incident - In November, local and state police responded to a reported rollover on the highway. According to an investigation by the Massachusetts State Police, the drivers of a 2007 Chevrolet 2500 pickup and a 2007 Ford Ranger pickup became involved in a “road rage”-type incident as they traveled on Route 495 North. The driver of the Ranger, Michael Hinds, 67, of Norton, allegedly made intentional contact with the other vehicle, causing a collision and taking the life of the driver of the Chevrolet. Hinds was arrested on numerous charges including drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident involving death.
4. Trouble at the Xfinity Center - In June, public safety crews at the Xfinity Center were forced to declare a level two mass casualty incident in order to receive more assistance from local EMS crews during Jam’n 94.5’s Summerjam. According to Mansfield fire, an influx of teens who were consuming alcohol prior to entering the venue lead to the decisions, with crews transporting patients to four nearby hospitals. About a week later, three teens were hospitalized after consuming alcohol on a party bus prior to a Tim McGraw concert.
5. Mansfield Resident Helps Reunite Marine with Family for Christmas - A U.S. Marine from Massachusetts was surrounded by his family for Christmas thanks to the assistance of a Mansfield resident. After two years away from home, U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Benjamin Bauman surprised family members in Medway last weekend when he appeared at a family function unannounced. Efforts to fund Bauman’s trip home were spearheaded by Lauren Eliopoulos, a Foxborough native now living in Mansfield and founder of Hero Helpers.
6. Mansfield Residents Found Dead in Cabin - In July, four people from Attleboro and Mansfield were found dead in a cabin at a campground in Byron, Maine. Brooke Wakelin, 21, her boyfriend Keith Norris, 23, both of Attleboro; and Wakelin’s brother, Matthew Wakelin, 18, and his friend, Deanna Lee Powers, 22, both of Mansfield, were identified as the victims.
7. Aunt Aleda’s Bakery and Country Kitchen Seized by State - In January, Aunt Aleda’s Bakery and Country Kitchen on North Main Street was seized by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. A spokesperson for the state’s Department of Revenue said the seizure was completed on Jan. 6 with the business owing about $96,500 in state and local meals taxes. The restaurant had been open for just under four years before the state seized the business.
8. Ex-Mansfield Resident Turned Terrorist Killed in Iraq - In June, a Stoughton High School graduate and former Mansfield resident turned terrorist was apparently killed while fighting for the Islamic State in Iraq. Ahmad Abousamra, 33, was reportedly killed in an airstrike by Iraqi warplanes in the west of the largely ISIS-held province of Anbar.
9. Mansfield Man Charged with Threats Towards President Obama - In May, Secret Service agents paid a visit to the West Village apartment of Andrew O’Keefe. During a search of his house and car, police seized swords, knives, a DVD on cyanide, and an air compressed electronic rifle. O’Keefe allegedly posted a threat on an FBI website stating his intent to kill the president and also asked for U.S. Secret Service agents to be sent to his apartment because he could, “use the company.”
10. Mansfield High School Among Best in State - In May, Mansfield High School received a silver award for being one the best high schools in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2015 Best High Schools survey. Mansfield was ranked No. 55 in state and 1479 nationally. Sturgis Charter Public School in Hyannis was No. 1 in Massachusetts.

Honorary Mention

Voters Give Thumbs up to New Public Safety/Public Works Building - In May voters at town meeting gave their endorsement to the $35 million project, with the debt exclusion vote passing a ballot vote in September.