Crash kills man, injures woman, and halts Boston traffic
A crash that killed a man and seriously injured a woman on Interstate 93 yesterday stifled traffic throughout metropolitan Boston, leaving thousands of drivers from Medford to Braintree facing rush-hour commutes of up to three hours, authorities said.
The crash occurred about 12:30 p.m. near Freeport Street in Dorchester when a Randolph man driving a 2006
The victims were identified as Lucy Freitas, 53, and John Freitas, 55, both of North Dartmouth. Their relationship was unknown , and their relatives declined to comment last night.
Lucy Freitas was ejected from and pinned beneath the sport utility vehicle. She was extricated with the help of witnesses and two off-duty Boston police officers, authorities said. She was taken to Boston Medical Center with serious injuries, police said. John Freitas was declared dead at the scene. Neither was wearing a seat belt , troopers said.
Valenti Biondi , 37, who was driving the Toyota, was uninjured. Troopers would not say whether he will face charges.
A witness, who was traveling about three car lengths behind the Toyota, said traffic was going about 60 miles per hour when the Toyota's driver made a " NASCAR-type move" and clipped the back bumper of the Ford.
"When it started rolling, there was a big puff of smoke or dust, and stuff was just scattering everywhere," said Joseph Jackson , 24, a Boston paramedic who stayed at the scene after the crash.
He said he stopped and tried to help the man in the passenger seat, who had obvious head trauma. "I tried to feel his pulse," Jackson said, "but it was not there."
The woman pinned under the SUV had numerous lacerations, he said. She was trying to speak, "but no words were coming out of her mouth," Jackson said.
The crash closed three travel lanes of I-93 south for about three hours. The right travel lane was closed for an additional half-hour while the SUV was removed from the highway.
Resulting traffic woes peaked about 4 p.m., said Jeff Larson of SmartRoute Systems Inc., which monitors traffic in Boston. He said commuters called in to say they had been locked in traffic for as much as three hours.
Rubbernecking in the northbound lanes backed traffic up to Braintree, Larson said. The southbound lanes, from the MedfordSomerville line to the scene, looked like a parking lot for much of the afternoon.
The crash also tied up traffic throughout South Boston and Dorchester, where commuters sought to bypass the crowded highway.
"It could have been a lot worse if it wasn't a holiday week," Larson said.
Commuters on Morrissey Boulevard yesterday afternoon, however, didn't think they got off easy. "It was the worst traffic I've seen in Boston in years," said Therese DeRosa , 21, of Dorchester.
It took Ed Zelesnick , 42, of Squantum about an hour to go 5 miles. After stopping at Lambert's Rainbow Fruit, he said, "Fortunately, I'm not working tomorrow . . . but I have to call my wife to run a few errands for me."
Globe staff writers April Simpson and Andrew Ryan contributed to this report. 
