Teen to be cited in crash that hurt cop
By Kristen Bradley / Daily News Staff
Friday, September 9, 2005
MARLBOROUGH -- The local teenager whose car broadsided a police cruiser on Rte. 85 Wednesday morning, seriously injuring an officer, will be cited for causing the crash, according to police.
Jason P. Collins, 18, a junior at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, will be cited for failure to yield for an oncoming emergency vehicle and when making a turn at an intersection, according to Police Sgt. Thomas Bryant. Both are minor civil motor vehicle infractions, which could result in fines of $130, he said.
Five-year department veteran James Gough, 38, was listed in fair condition last night at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. According to Gough's brother -- Michael Gough, also a Marlborough police officer -- James underwent five hours of surgery on his ankles and wrist.
The accident left Gough with a broken wrist, two broken ankles and other injuries.
The State Police Accident Reconstruction team investigated the crash, determining the charges Collins will face. The investigation also found speed was not a factor and Gough was not wearing his seat belt.
Around 7:30 a.m., as he was finishing his shift, Gough was on his way to a call about a man who was having a seizure in his car.
The cruiser was traveling south on Bolton Street when Collin's Volkswagen Jetta pulled out of Tremont Street, according to police accounts. The Volkswagen collided with the cruiser's passenger side, pushing it onto the sidewalk and into a telephone pole. Gough's head struck the windshield.
Gough used his radio to call for help. Because he suffered head lacerations, paramedics, as a precaution, sent him by rescue helicopter to the hospital, police said.
Collins had been waiting to turn onto Bolton Street from the bottom of Tremont Street -- a small side street off Rte. 85. According to his mother, Moira Collins, he finally spotted a break in the traffic when the two cars collided. She said her son said he never heard sirens or saw the cruiser's flashing lights. Her son has been an distraught since the accident and feels much guilt, she said.
Article online at MetroWestDailyNews.com
