WESTFIELD – A drunk driver who caused a four-collision crash on August 15 has already had his case resolved in court.
Matthew W. Long of West Springfield appeared in Westfield District Court on Monday and received one year probation, was ordered to pay $65 per month while on probation, fined $600, lost his license for 45 days and was ordered to complete a drug/alcohol education program.
Long’s charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor were continued without finding, or CWOF (pronounced “quaff”), which means a defendant admits that the prosecutor has enough evidence against him/her, but agrees to probation without pleading guilty.
Long, 41, was also found responsible for signal/sign/markings violation on a state highway, found not responsible for possessing an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle and had charges of negligent operation of a motor vehicle dismissed.
Shortly before 9 p.m., Saturday night, August 15, Long rear-ended a 1998 Jeep Cherokee driven by Mark Sadler.
A story that appeared in The Westfield News on August 19 stated that Barbara Sadler was the driver, information obtained from an erroneous police report that had inadvertently listed the wrong operator of the vehicle.
Barbara Sadler was a passenger in the Jeep that her husband was operating at the time of the collision.
Two other vehicles were involved in the chain-reaction rear-end crash that occurred near Bertera Dodge, located at 167 Springfield Road.
According to Barbara Sadler, after Long stuck their vehicle, the Sadler’s vehicle was pushed into a 2013 Nissan Rogue driven by Michelle Grasso and Grasso’s vehicle rear-ended a 2010 Mazda driven by Kristin Kelley.
“We were sitting for a good 20 seconds at the traffic light before the impact,” Barbara Sadler said, “(Long) was way back traveling at a fast speed. He hit us so hard that we thought our car blew up. The floor actually buckled in half and my husband’s seat broke from the floor.”
When police officers arrived at the scene, they found a topless Long standing beside his vehicle. A freshly emptied can of beer was seen in the front seat area of the vehicle, according to court records.
After EMTs had determined Long had not sustained any injuries due to the collision, police proceeded to give Long a field sobriety test, which he failed. Long then requested a lawyer and was arrested on charges of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor.
Three people were transported to area hospitals following the accident and three vehicles were towed from the scene.
Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe said that following any accident, drivers need to remember to file their own accident report even though police collect information at the scene.
“M.G.L. Chapter 90, Section 26 requires a person who was operating a motor vehicle involved in a crash in which (i) any person was killed or (ii) injured or (iii) in which there was damage in excess of $1,000 to any one vehicle or other property, to complete and file a Crash Operator Report with the Registrar within five (5) days after such crash (unless the person is physically incapable of doing so due to incapacity),” according to massrmv.com.
Drivers need to then provide a copy to the local police department in the city or town where the crash occurred, send a copy to one’s insurance agent and mail a copy to the RMV.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
