One killed, three injured in Kingston SUV crash; witness says car was speeding

By Melissa M. Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

A motor vehicle crash in Kingston Monday night left one teenager dead and three others hospitalized, Kingston police said.

The 1998 Ford Explorer was traveling east on Elm Street when the driver lost control, Kingston Police Chief Joseph Rebello said in a telephone interview today. The SUV hit a telephone pole then became airborne and struck a tree.

Rebello said the pole was broken into two pieces and the crash pulled down power lines in the neighborhood.

A witness told police that the SUV was traveling at a high speed just before the car crashed, he said. Rebello said officers are investigating whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.

Police officers and firefighters responded to 108 Elm St. at 9 p.m. and found the vehicle on its side in the woods, Rebello said.

The SUV contained four 19-year-old men, he said. Rebello said all four men are from the South Shore, but none were Kingston residents.

He declined to release the name of the man killed in the crash.

When officers arrived at the scene, Rebello said the three men were still in the vehicle and one was walking around, Rebello said.

Two of the victims were flown by a MedFlight helicopter to undisclosed Boston hospitals, and two were taken to South Shore Medical Center by ambulance, he said.

At 4:15 a.m. today, police were notified that one of the victims had died at a Boston hospital, Rebello said.

A State Police reconstruction team responded to the scene.

No further information was immediately available.