A crash involving a wrong-way driver and an ambulance early Wednesday in Natick is under investigation. Shortly after 3 a.m. a trooper saw the wrong-way driver on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Brighton going west on the eastbound side, state police said. Officials said a Nissan Versa was traveling at an excessive speed and weaving in and out of traffic. “I have a wrong way driver by the Warrior Ice Arena headed west in the east, west in the east,” a trooper relayed to dispatchers. “He’s lane to lane, swerving in and out of traffic, very light traffic right now.”Another trooper deployed a stop-stick tire deflation device near the Natick Service Plaza to stop the vehicle, police said. Before the driver stopped the vehicle struck an ambulance near Exit 13 in Natick. The wrong-way driver suffered serious injuries and was listed in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital. Two ambulance personnel from Vital Ambulance, a 45-year-old man and a 38-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and were also taken to Massachusetts General.A 49-year-old woman who was in the ambulance was taken to Tufts Medical Center with minor injuries. State police said the wrong-way driver did not have any identification on him and they were working to confirm his identity. The Auburn man’s family said he has a history of mental illness and struggles with schizophrenia.The Nissan had a license plate belonging to another vehicle attached to it, state police said. The driver is expected to face charges in the crash, state police said. The eastbound side was shut down at Exit 13 for about two hours.
NATICK, Mass. —
A crash involving a wrong-way driver and an ambulance early Wednesday in Natick is under investigation.
Shortly after 3 a.m. a trooper saw the wrong-way driver on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Brighton going west on the eastbound side, state police said.
Officials said a Nissan Versa was traveling at an excessive speed and weaving in and out of traffic.
“I have a wrong way driver by the Warrior Ice Arena headed west in the east, west in the east,” a trooper relayed to dispatchers. “He’s lane to lane, swerving in and out of traffic, very light traffic right now.”
Another trooper deployed a stop-stick tire deflation device near the Natick Service Plaza to stop the vehicle, police said. Before the driver stopped the vehicle struck an ambulance near Exit 13 in Natick.
The wrong-way driver suffered serious injuries and was listed in critical condition at Massachusetts General Hospital. Two ambulance personnel from Vital Ambulance, a 45-year-old man and a 38-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and were also taken to Massachusetts General.
A 49-year-old woman who was in the ambulance was taken to Tufts Medical Center with minor injuries.
State police said the wrong-way driver did not have any identification on him and they were working to confirm his identity.
The Auburn man’s family said he has a history of mental illness and struggles with schizophrenia.
The Nissan had a license plate belonging to another vehicle attached to it, state police said. The driver is expected to face charges in the crash, state police said.
The eastbound side was shut down at Exit 13 for about two hours.
