Fiery bridge crash takes driver’s life

REVERE – A fiery crash on the General Edwards Bridge Monday morning killed a Chelsea man and halted traffic for several hours, State Police said.According to a report from the State Police, troopers from the Revere barracks responded at about 7:46 a.m. to numerous calls for a single-car crash on Route 1A northbound on the bridge.A preliminary investigation by Trooper James Farrell found that Wayne Diggs, 50, was operating a 2005 Dodge Ram northbound over the bridge when he lost control of the vehicle, spun out and struck the gate of the drawbridge. The vehicle came to rest on the sidewalk and caught fire, eventually becoming fully engulfed in flames.Diggs died on the scene, according to the report.The crash and its ensuing investigation caused a traffic jam that lasted for several hours as crews worked to repair the damaged portion of the bridge, which included a light post, traffic guardrail, fence and surrounding cement.The bridge had been fixed and traffic was running smoothly Monday night.Black scrapes could be seen on the cement along a 100-foot portion of the right side of the bridge where the car appeared to have ridden up onto and along the raised curbstone before slamming into, first, the light pole and then striking the gate of the drawbridge before catching fire and coming to rest against the bridge’s fence, buckling it.Black ice and speed are being looked at as possible contributing factors, a press release from the State Police said, and forensic investigation into the charred vehicle has begun.The circumstances of the crash are being investigated by Troop A of the State Police with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section.Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Revere and Lynn Police Departments, the Revere Fire Department and the Department of Transportation Highway Division.Taylor Provost may be reached at [email protected]