Three people were killed and nine injured last week at the LynnWay Auto Auction in Billerica, Massachusetts when a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee accelerated accidentally and plowed through a crowd and a nearby wall. Two of the nine injured had life-threatening injuries.
The deceased have been identified as Brenda Lopez, Pantaleon Santos, both from Rhode Island, and Leezandra Aponte, from Lowell. Aponte died after being transported to the hospitals.
One witness described that he “heard a screeching of tires, and I believe, a Jeep Cherokee went flying by me. In avoiding the cars, whoever was driving this vehicle hit several people.”
The driver was later identified as being in his 70s, though his identity has not been released. He was not injured in the crash. Police investigators do not believe that this was an intentional crash, though they also found that he had a suspended driver’s license.
Other reports indicate that a former driver at the auction had previously asked about making safety changes several years before the accident, thinking that “it’s just a matter of time before something like this would happen.” The former employee said that many cars had mechanical issues, and that she received no formal safety training when she was hired through a temporary job agency.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/us/massachusetts-auto-auction-crash/