Fire Dept. responds to 2 fatalities in busy week

The Canton Fire Department had a very busy week as they responded to 65 calls between May 20 and May 27, including two fatal highway crashes, a burn victim on Walpole Street, and an accident involving a police cruiser on a paid detail on Route 128 North.

The accident involving the police cruiser occurred on Wednesday, May 21. The officer was outside the cruiser and was not hurt. Two passengers in the vehicle that hit the cruiser were transported to Norwood Hospital for minor injuries.

The busiest time of the week for the Fire Department occurred between Friday, May 23, and Monday, May 27, when they responded to 37 calls, including five at one time on Saturday evening. One of those calls involved a Walpole Street resident who suffered severe burns from an accidentally dropped cigarette. A Norwood ambulance transported the woman to Mass. General Hospital. Deputy Fire Chief Scott Johnson said the woman’s boyfriend saved her life by using the “drop and roll technique” until the ambulance arrived.

Firefighters and paramedics also responded to two fatal crashes over Memorial Day weekend — one on I-95 North near the Neponset Street exit early Sunday morning and another on 93 South near the Route 138 exit on Monday afternoon.

The first accident — a single-car rollover — occurred around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday and claimed the life of Germaine C. Stokes, 45, of Tewksbury, who was pronounced dead at Norwood Hospital. Another passenger was transported to Boston Medical Center for serious injuries and three others were transported to Norwood Hospital for minor injuries. Walpole, Sharon, and State Police aided in the extrication of the victims.

The following afternoon, firefighters/paramedics were called to a motorcycle accident that resulted in the death of a 33-year-old, unidentified Ashland man. According to Johnson, the man lost control of his motorcycle and was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken by ambulance to Boston Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Two lanes of the busy highway were closed for a period of time as the State Police conducted its investigation, which continued into Tuesday, May 27.

Earlier that same day, just after the town’s Memorial Day ceremony, firefighters responded to a car accident at 1842 Washington Street. The car hit the air-conditioning units outside the house but did not hit the structure. The driver was not hurt but received several motor vehicle citations.

Firefighters and paramedics also responded to an accident involving a car and a bus on I-95 North near Neponset Street and the Rte. 128 interchange on Sunday, May 25, at 11 p.m. The driver of the car was transported to Boston Medical Center for leg injuries. Firefighters also responded to a mutual aid house fire call in Milton on May 20.

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Posted by Mike Berger on May 29 2014. Filed under News, Police & Fire. Both comments and pings are currently closed.