Marblehead 91-Year-Old Driver, Passenger, Killed In Salem Crash

SALEM, MA — A 91-year-old Marblehead man driving the wrong way on Highland Avenue in Salem, and his 55-year-old passenger, were killed in the multi-vehicle crash that closed the road for several hours late Wednesday afternoon.

Salem police said on Thursday that James Newhall was driving the wrong way in the southbound lanes of Highland Avenue at about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon when his white Ford Focus was involved in a head-on crash that left him and his passenger, 55-year-old Margaret Newhall, also of Marblehead, dead and multiple people injured.

Police said James Newhall and Margaret Newhall were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said a passenger in the Ford Focus was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, while two other people from vehicles involved in what became a multi-vehicle chain-reaction crash were also hospitalized.

The road remained closed for nearly four hours as police investigated the crash and crews cleared the scene.

Salem and State police said the investigation into the crash remained ongoing Thursday morning.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)