Marlborough Man Dies After Wrong-Way I-290 Collision

WORCESTER, MA — A Marlborough man died Sunday night following a wrong-way collision along I-290 near the Kelley Square exit, according to transportation officials.

According to MassDOT, the 31-year-old Marlborough man was driving eastbound in a Honda Accord when he crashed through the median and drove into the westbound lanes just before 9:30 p.m. The driver then collided head-on with a Toyota SUV driven by a Worcester man, state police said.

The Marlborough man had been involved in a spinout along the highway near the Burncoat area just minutes before the fatal crash, which is how he ended up on the wrong side, police said.

"Preliminary investigation and reconstruction of this crash reveals that the Accord was eastbound on I-290 east when the operator, for reasons still under investigation, lost control of the car and crashed into the concrete median barrier separating the eastbound and westbound sides in the vicinity of the Burncoat exit. The vehicle ended up facing the wrong direction, and the operator of the Honda subsequently began driving the wrong way, westbound on the eastbound side," state police said in a news release.

The Honda driver died later at UMass Memorial. State police did not immediately release his identity.

The collision shut down all eastbound I-290 lanes until around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, according to MassDOT.