An allegedly drunk driver crashed into a Boston Globe delivery truck on Interstate 93 early Monday, sending the truck over a guardrail and onto an exit ramp nearly 40 feet below, officials said.
The driver of the Globe truck — Paul Healy Jr., 35, of Brockton — was listed in fair condition Monday evening at Massachusetts General Hospital, said a hospital spokeswoman.
Healy was travelling northbound near the Leverett Connector shortly before 3:15 a.m. when a 2006 Cadillac sedan struck his truck, State Police said. The truck crashed over the guardrail and landed on the ramp to the Leverett Connector at Exit 26. No one else was hurt, and the ramp reopened around 7 a.m. after the wreckage was cleared.
“It is amazing that Mr. Healy suffered non-life-threatening injuries,” State Police spokesman David Procopio said in an e-mail.
Video of the incident released by the state Department of Transportation appeared to show the sedan striking the truck from behind and pushing it over the guard rail. The truck rolled when it landed, but did not strike any other vehicles.
Authorities charged the driver of the Cadillac — Vivencia Bellegarde, 25, of Everett — with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating under the influence of alcohol, and operating under the influence of alcohol causing serious bodily injury, said the office of Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. She was also cited for a marked lanes violation.
A not guilty plea was entered on her behalf Monday at her arraignment in Boston Municipal Court, where she was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail and barred from driving or consuming alcohol if she posts that amount, Conley’s office said.
Her lawyer could not be reached for comment.
Bellegarde has a lengthy history of driving infractions, including a previous drunken driving arrest in Lincoln, according to a copy of her record released by the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Her record also shows citations for not wearing a seat belt, speeding, failing to stop, and driving on a suspended license last year in New Hampshire. Her license has been suspended 10 times.
Why wasn't it taken away?
She refused a breath analysis test after Monday’s accident, triggering a six-month suspension of her license, records show.
A spokesman for the Transportation Department said the suspension would increase to three years because of her previous drunken driving arrest.
Why isn't it a lifetime ban? WTF?
Maybe it is time to ban cars and booze because they could hurt people -- and leave my newsstand without a Globe.
NEXT DAY UPDATE: Globe driver thought he wouldn’t survive crash
I'm glad he is okay.
NEXT DAY UPDATE: Globe driver thought he wouldn’t survive crash
I'm glad he is okay.
