Elderly driver’s wife dies of injuries
Passenger in car in Woburn crash
WOBURN -The wife of the 83-year-old man whose car struck another vehicle here Tuesday died yesterday morning at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, as details emerged about his two previous accidents and a license revocation.
Katherine Casey, 84, of Malden was in the car with her husband, Joseph, when police say he hit a vehicle driven by Claire P. Regan, 77, of Woburn, said Corey Welford, a spokesman for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.
Regan was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital after the accident. She was in good condition yesterday evening, a hospital spokeswoman said.
No criminal charges have been filed against Joseph Casey, Welford said yesterday, adding that Woburn police, State Police, and the district attorney’s office are investigating. A Woburn police sergeant said Tuesday night that Casey would face at least a charge of negligent operation.
The crash was the latest in a series of accidents involving elderly drivers, bringing calls from lawmakers for closer scrutiny and more frequent vision and road testing of the elderly.
Joseph Casey’s license was revoked indefinitely yesterday, said Ann Dufresne, a spokeswoman for the Registry of Motor Vehicles. He was discharged yesterday from Lahey Clinic, a spokeswoman there said.
Regan was traveling west on Russell Street around noon Tuesday when Joseph Casey’s car hit hers head on, according to the police report.
In February 2004, Joseph Casey was involved in an accident in Woburn, and his license was revoked indefinitely. He had to provide medical certification, go through a driving evaluation course, attend driving school, and take a road test before a new license was issued to him a few months later, Dufresne said.
In November 2005, he was in another surchargeable accident in Malden, meaning that he was found to be more than 50 percent at fault, Dufresne said.
Alex Falcone, owner of Four Corners Barbershop and Salon on Russell Street, said he heard the two cars collide as he gave a haircut to a customer.
“It sounded like a bomb went off,’’ Falcone said.
Brian O’Rourke, 43, who owns a gas station close to the accident site, said the engine of Casey’s
“I knew something bad had happened,’’ O’Rourke said yesterday, adding that he went to the car and turned off the engine because he was afraid the vehicle could start moving again.
He said Joseph Casey was bleeding but was responsive and expressed concern for his wife and for the driver of the other car.
“He was very lucid,’’ O’Rourke said. “I told him to relax and that help was coming.’’
Yesterday, Falcone, who seemed upset to hear that Katherine Casey had died, said after the accident that he had asked her if she was all right, and she had said no.
“She was absolutely in shock,’’ Falcone said. 