Lynn taxi driver killed in Route 1 crash identified

Item Staff ReportLYNNFIELD – The Lynn taxi cab driver killed in a Route 1 crash Friday night has been identified and a 25-year-old Melrose man involved in the accident faces a motor vehicle homicide charge after allegedly causing the fatality while driving under the influence of drugs.Police say Victor Varga, 42, a driver for Garcia’s Taxi in Lynn, got out of his cab in the breakdown lane on Route 1 north in Lynnfield in front of the Fat Cactus restaurant at about 8 p.m. after a minor accident with a Chevrolet Colbalt.Police say while the cabbie and the Colbalt’s driver, a Melrose woman, were outside, a Chrysler Pacifica struck the Colbalt, then Vargas, who was later pronounced dead at Lynn’s Union Hospital.A six-year-old boy, who was a passenger in the Colbalt, suffered a serious arm injury.State Police say the Pacifica’s driver, William J. Halpin III, was detained and will be arraigned Monday. Halpin allegedly tossed several small baggies of marijuana from his vehicle after the crash.Route 1 northbound, north of Walnut Street, was closed for a significant period of time Friday night, according to State Police.Pick up Monday’s Daily Item for updates.(Associated Press material was used in this report.)