Three escape fiery crash in Dudley

Friday October 19, 2012
Location:  Route 31 near Hickory Drive, Dudley

Text and photos by Patriot staff. More photos follow

Particulars:   Three male juveniles riding in a late model Oldsmobile Alero narrowly escaped disaster Friday, when the car they were riding in rolled over, crashed through a utility pole, and burst into flame.

Shortly before 3:30 PM on Friday, Dudley police, ambulance, and fire units were dispatched to a reported car accident on Route 31, also known as Dresser Hill Road, near the intersection of Hickory Drive in Dudley.  When police arrived, they found a utility pole that had been severed and was suspended by live electrical, cable, and telephone wires over Rt. 31.  They also found a large debris field, car parts that had been strewn about the roadway as a result of the accident, and a demolished sedan sitting in the middle of the roadway, smoking heavily.  All of the occupants had escaped from the vehicle; one needed to be assisted out of the wrecked car by a passer-by.

As the Dudley Fire Department Ambulance arrived on scene and began to treat the three lucky occupants of the car, the sedan suddenly caught fire and commenced to burn furiously.  Dudley firefighters arrived moments later and quickly doused the charred auto.

Two of the three male occupants involved in the crash received injuries, one apparently minor and the other serious.  Both were transported by Dudley Ambulance to UMASS Hospital – University Campus in Worcester for definitive care of their injuries.  Their conditions were not immediately known.

The cause of the crash is currently under investigation by the Dudley Police Department, but it appears that speed was a factor in the accident.  Due to the severed utility pole at the scene, the heavily traveled Dresser Hill Road needed to be shut down between Dresser Hill Rd. #2 and Dudley-Southbridge Road for several hours as National Grid repaired the damage caused by the accident.  Traffic was re-routed during that time.

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