UPDATE: Worker killed on I-93 ID'd; Chelmsford driver charged
By Alana Melanson
Updated: 06/28/2016 01:15:07 PM EDT
State Police say the driver of this car, a Chelmsford resident, struck and killed a construction worker on I-93 this morning. (PHOTO COURTESY WBZ-TV)
James Scoville (VIA FACEBOOK)
MEDFORD - A Chelmsford man was allegedly drunk behind the wheel when he struck and killed a highway worker early Tuesday morning on Interstate 93.
James Scoville, 31, of Chelmsford, will be arraigned later Tuesday in Somerville District Court on charges of motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of liquor, State Police said in a statement. He was arrested and held at the Medford State Police barracks.
State Police have identified the victim as Thomas O'Day, 52, of East Bridgewater. An employee of highway line-painting contractor Hi-Way Safety Systems, O'Day was on foot retrieving traffic cones on I-93 northbound near Exit 33 about 2:45 a.m. when he was struck and fatally injured by the 2012 Fiat 500 operated by Scoville. He was pronounced dead at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
His mother, Donna O'Day, also of East Bridgewater, told the Boston Herald her son was a father of six who worked double and triple shifts to support his family.
Scoville also allegedly slammed into a company truck, police said. A second worker, a 33-year-old Taunton man, was on the rear of that truck and sustained minor injuries.
"At the time of the crash, a work zone safety setup was in place, including safety cones, warning signs and two truck mounted attenuator trucks with arrow boards in the setup - one stationary at the beginning of the zone and one that was associated with placing/picking up the cones," the state Department of Transportation said in a statement to media outlets.
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MassDOT spokeswoman Jacquelyn Goddard told Boston.com the victim was part of a crew painting the solid-white edge line between the on and off ramps. She said Hi-Way Safety Systems, Inc. has a district-wide pavement marking contract with the department.
In a statement, Hi-Way Safety Systems President and CEO Kathy DeLong said those at the company "are saddened and shocked by the events early this morning that claimed the life of one employee and caused injury to another." She said the company is working closely with State Police and other authorities to determine what happened.
"We take great pride in ensuring our employees are operating under safe, well lit and clearly signed work sites while on the roadway," DeLong said in the statement. "In the meantime we are doing what we can to support both families. Until the investigations are complete we ask that you respect the privacy of the families coping with their losses."
The ongoing crash investigation is being conducted by State Police Troop A with assistance from the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section and Detective Unit for Middlesex County.
No further information was immediately available.
Another highway worker, a MassDOT employee, was seriously hurt after being struck by a car in Boston Monday. A man has been charged with OUI in that incident.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.