‘I’m just so sick’: Father of Marblehead student-athlete killed in crash speaks out

"Everything was going in the right direction."

Marblehead’s James Galante returns a punt past Lynn Classical’s Marquese Avery on his way to a touchdown during their football game at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, Mass., Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Winslow Townson for The Boston Globe

By Tom Westerholm

March 20, 2022

James Galante, an 18-year-old Marblehead High School student-athlete, died from his injuries Friday morning after he was involved in a car crash returning home on Ocean Avenue, a causeway in Marblehead.

Galante’s father, Jim, spoke to The Boston Globe in a story published on Sunday. Galante told the Globe he fell asleep waiting for his son to return home on Thursday night. He was woken up by police knocking on his door.

The family was hopeful Galante would survive after five hours at Salem Hospital, but the senior died after he was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital via helicopter.

“I’m just so sick,” Jim Galante told the Globe.

Galante was a state champion football player with Marblehead High School, who won the Division 3 title last fall. He was preparing to run track in the spring. After graduation, he planned to attend Denison University in Granville, OH where he would continue his football career and study physics.

Jim Galante told the Globe his son would be alive if the causeway had a railing or a higher wall on the harbor side.

“Everything was going in the right direction,” he said. “It’s just so sad.”

Marblehead police chief Dennis King wrote in a statement that there is an ongoing investigation into the crash, adding that he has a daughter in Galante’s class.

“My wife and I are heartbroken for the Galante Family as we reflect and head into the end of her high school years, just as they should be doing,” his statement said, per the Globe. “I can only offer my family’s heartfelt condolences, and assurances that we will conduct a complete and thorough investigation.”