Man Suffering from 'Life Threatening Injuries' After Crash

A Salem man has suffered “life threatening injuries” after an early morning crash on Main Street, according to Lt. Joel Dolan of the Salem Police Department.

At approximately 2:56 a.m., an officer radioed into dispatch that she had just been passed by a vehicle traveling in excess of 90 mph while traveling west bound on Main Street near the intersection of Hampstead Road.

The officer activated her emergency lights to stop the vehicle, but was never in a position to do so, and quickly lost sight of the vehicle. Moments later, the officer came upon the scene of a serious motor vehicle accident in front of 317 Main St.

The same vehicle, a 1997 Lexus, that had just passed her, had gone off the road and struck several trees before coming to a stop.

“As a result of the crash the male operator had been ejected from the vehicle and was found lying face down at the base of a tree,” according to Dolan.

Salem Fire and Rescue teams transported the male to Lawrence General Hospital. He was subsequently med-flighted to Mass General in Boston with life threatening injuries.

The Salem Police Technical Accident Reconstruction (TAR) Team was called in to investigate the crash. Main Street between School and North Main was shut down for several hours and has since reopened.

“At this point we are not releasing the male’s name until we are able to ensure his family has been notified. However, we will say he is a 23 year-old Salem resident,” according to Dolan.

Preliminary results of the investigation show that speed was most definitely a contributing factor. The TAR team will continue to investigate to see if alcohol and/or narcotics also played a role in the crash.