WESTFIELD – An Upton man is facing charges, including vehicular homicide, after a single vehicle crash on Bates Road claimed the life of an 18-year-old Middlefield woman early this morning.
The accident was reported to city police at 12:49 a.m. and the caller said that a vehicle had rolled over and burst into flames.
Four officers arrived within minutes and found that all four occupants were out of the burning vehicle.
Responding firefighters extinguished the fire.
One of the occupants, later identified as Emily Savery, 18, of Middlefield, had been removed by the other occupants and witnesses, before she could be burned by the fire. She was immediately transported to Noble Hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Additional officers, including investigators from the Traffic and Safety Bureau and the State Police, arrived shortly thereafter to conduct the investigation, which required that Bates Road be closed to traffic for about four hours. It has since been reopened.
The investigation is still underway but police initially report that the 1994 Ford Escort station wagon had been traveling northbound on Bates Road and left the roadway near the intersection with Morningside Drive. The car struck a tree stump before rolling over and burning.
The vehicle had been operated by Jay Patrick Franklin, 23, of 1 Lackey St., Upton, who did not suffer serious injuries.
Savery had been seated in the front passenger seat. Randy Smith, 22, of Douglas had been seated in the right rear seat and was injured. He was transported to Baystate Medical Center where he was admitted and is in fair condition this morning. The fourth occupant, Ashley Dion, 18, of Huntington, suffered injuries which were treated at Noble Hospital and she was released.
Investigators have not yet determined if seat belts had been in use.
The investigating officers found that Franklin had been intoxicated at the time of the crash and he was arrested.
He was charged with operating under the influence of liquor resulting in serious injury, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, motor vehicular homicide while operating recklessly under the influence of liquor and speeding.
He is expected to be arraigned today in Westfield District Court.
