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Two killed in separate road accidents

Backhoe falls off trailer and crushes woman on I-495

A firefighter with the Jaws of Life at yesterday’s accident scene on I-495 in Southborough. A passenger in the backseat was killed. A firefighter with the Jaws of Life at yesterday’s accident scene on I-495 in Southborough. A passenger in the backseat was killed. (Mark Wilson for The Boston Globe)
By Miriam Valverde
Globe Correspondent / August 13, 2011

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Two people were killed, and at least six others seriously injured in separate and dramatic accidents involving vehicles yesterday, according to authorities.

In Southborough, one woman died, and three other people were seriously injured on Interstate 495 when a backhoe rolled off a trailer being towed by a National Grid truck and fell on top of a car, killing one of its passengers, State Police said.

The backhoe and the 2000 Toyota Sienna carrying a driver, the woman passenger who was killed, and two children went down an embankment approximately 20 feet, according to State Police. The backhoe eventually landed on top of the car, trapping all of its occupants, State Police said.

Xjaoyun Jiang of Westford, who was in her 70s, was riding in the backseat of the Toyota and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to State Police.

The children, a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, were transported by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center, while the car’s driver, Yingzi Wang, 42, of Westford, was flown to the same hospital, according to State Police. There were no details on their conditions last night.

Jeffrey Fisher, 49, of Coventry, R.I., was driving the 2010 Freightliner truck and was towing a 2007 Case backhoe on a trailer. Fisher was not injured.

Both vehicles were traveling southbound on I-495 near Exit 23C.

In another fatal accident, this one in Ipswich, Daniel Callahan, a 61-year-old man from Ipswich, was killed shortly before 2 p.m. after he was struck by a van driven by a disabled driver, according to Steve O’Connell, spokesman for the Essex district attorney’s office.

At least three other people were injured after the 32-year-old driver, of Amesbury, lost control of the van, O’Connell said.

O’Connell also said a 42-year-old woman, of Watertown, was transported by medical helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

A 31-year-old man from Topsfield and another man from Ipswich sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening and were transported to local hospitals, O’Connell said.

The victims were out on a company picnic with EBSCO Publishing Co., the Associated Press reported.

The accident is under investigation by the district attorney’s office.

Miriam Valverde can be reached at mvalverde@globe.com.

© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.