2 adults, toddler hurt in Route 3 crash
Racing is probed as possible cause
Three people, including a 2-year-old girl and her mother, survived a wild crash yesterday when the car they were riding in slammed into a guardrail and rolled over several times before coming to rest on Route 3 in Braintree. Authorities said they are investigating whether the crash stemmed from drag racing.
State Police identified the driver of the 2000 Chevrolet Impala as Rachael Thibodeau, 18, of Weymouth and her passenger as Katherine Joslyn, 20, also of Weymouth. Citing privacy laws, State Police would not say which of the women is the child's mother, but another state official familiar with the facts of the crash said Joslyn is the mother. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the second agency was not directly involved in the case.
Both women and the child were taken to Boston Medical Center following the 3:30 a.m. crash. Late yesterday afternoon, a hospital spokesman said Joslyn's condition had been upgraded to fair, while Thibodeau remained in serious condition.
The child was not listed as a patient at the hospital, a spokesman said. State Police said she was only slightly injured.
State Police Sergeant Scott Range said that at the time of the crash, the toddler was properly secured in a child safety seat and that troopers are trying to determine whether both Joslyn and Thibodeau were also wearing safety restraints.
Range said Joslyn was not thrown from the Impala, but Thibodeau was partially thrown from the car after it crashed on Route 3 north, south of Exit 17 in Braintree.
Range said troopers are trying to determine whether drag racing was a contributing factor in the crash.
''Whether or not racing and whether or not a second vehicle was involved in the crash is still being investigated," Range said.
The trooper said that after Thibodeau lost control of the car, it smashed into the center guardrail, rolled over several times, and then came to rest in the right-hand and breakdown lanes, forcing the shutdown of those two lanes for about an hour.
Thibodeau has a clean driving history, according to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
Relatives of the women did not return telephone calls yesterday seeking comment.
