By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
A driver traveling at a high rate of speed on Route 1 struck another SUV late Tuesday night, sending six people to area hospitals.
The crash occurred June 23 at approximately 11:11 p.m. on Route 1 near Native Sun, according to the North Attleborough Police Department. Firefighters arrived to find a vehicle on fire and quickly extinguished the flames, Fire Chief Christopher Coleman said.
Six ambulances responded to the scene, including units from North Attleborough, Attleboro, Mansfield and Plainville. Patients were triaged at the scene before being transported, with five taken to Rhode Island Hospital and one to Sturdy Memorial Hospital, according to Coleman. The injuries were described as serious but non-life-threatening.
According to police, Jacqueline Flavin, 20, of Spencer, was driving a 2007 BMW X3 southbound in the northbound lane of Route 1 when it collided head-on with a northbound 2023 Chevrolet Tahoe carrying five occupants.
The police report states that surveillance video showed Flavin traveling the wrong way at a high rate of speed before the crash. According to the report, the impact was so severe that the rear of the BMW lifted off the roadway. Police also determined that the BMW struck a curb near Patel Brothers before continuing north in the wrong lane and colliding with the other vehicle.
A witness told police he first noticed headlights traveling the wrong direction near Applebee’s before the BMW sped past his vehicle in the northbound lanes. After calling 911, the witness stopped to help and assisted four occupants from the Tahoe before officers arrived, according to the police report.
Police issued Flavin two Massachusetts Uniform citations in connection with the accident.
The roadway remained closed for about an hour while emergency crews extinguished the fire, treated the injured and cleared the wreckage. It reopened shortly after 12:15 a.m., Coleman said. The crash remains under investigation by the North Attleborough Police Department.