LYNN — A horrific single-car crash on the Lynnway near North Shore Community College left the vehicle mangled and a 72-year-old man with serious injuries on Tuesday afternoon, State Police said.
The Lynn Fire Department had to use tools to extricate the driver from his 2017 Acura Sedan. The man was the only one in the car, and was taken to Salem Hospital, authorities said.
A witness, Chris Bates, said he was driving behind the car on the Lynnway when the driver suddenly drove over a curb and smashed into a tree. He pulled over and called 911 to report the crash.
“I heard a bang and I looked up and I saw the car shake like crazy,” said Bates, 41, of Lynn. “I came to a stop and debris was flying and I was expecting another vehicle. I just couldn’t believe what I saw when I got there.”
Shortly after 1 p.m., the Acura was a mangled mess. Most of the car had been torn apart from the impact and the front engine was completely exposed. Crews were working to clean up parts of the vehicle that were scattered throughout the street and sidewalk.
“I went to check on him, (but) he wasn’t responding,” said Bates. “He was out of it and bleeding badly.”
However, Bates had to stop his efforts to help the man out of his car after he noticed fuel and oil leaking from the car. A woman who drove by and identified herself as an EMT also stopped to help before emergency crews arrived, he said.
It’s not clear what caused the crash, but police on scene said it may have been a medical event. State Police Trooper James DeAngelis said he could not confirm that information.
Bates said the car didn’t appear to be speeding but it had passed him after he turned onto the Lynnway. He had been leaving North Shore Community College, where he takes classes, he said.
Pedro Colon, 51, of Lynn, said he became emotional when he saw the aftermath of the crash because it reminded him of how his son died 14 years ago.
On Oct. 17, 2006, Colon said his son, Patrick McLaughlin, 19, was one of three young men who died in a “horrific” car crash in Saugus. In that instance, the car had taken a wrong turn, hit a tree, and then spun around and hit a house, he said.
Colon said he had been walking through the area after getting off the bus Tuesday afternoon and heard the “kabam” sound of the collision, which was followed by a slide.
“(I was in) panic mode,” said Colon. “I freaked out because it reminded me of my son’s crash so I kind of froze and was shocked.”
The crash is under investigation by the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and Crime Scene Services Section.
