4th victim dies from injuries in Billerica auto auction crash

A 50-year-old Buzzards Bay man died yesterday from injuries he sustained earlier this month when an elderly LynnWay Auto Auction employee drove into a crowd of spectators in Billerica, officials said, making him the fourth person to die as a result of the crash.

Elliott Rowlands Jr. died at the Lahey Clinic as a result of injuries he suffered in the May 3 incident, Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan and Billerica police Chief Daniel Rosa said in a statement. Police say Rhode Island residents Brenda Lopez, 48, and Pantaleon Santos, 49, and Lowell resident Leezandra Aponte, 36, were also killed when a LynnWay staffer in his 70s suddenly drove a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee into a crowd of customers and crashed through a cinder block wall.

Eight other people were hospitalized with non-lifethreatening injuries.

News of Rowlands’ death came hours after the Charter Way business reopened its doors to customers and held a private prayer service in memory of the victims.

The driver, whose named hasn’t been released, had a suspended license at the time of the crash the auto auction’s president, Jim Lamb, said in a statement.

Lamb has said the business will install safety barriers to keep vehicles from leaving their designated lanes during auctions.

The tragedy, which authorities say appears to have been an accident, is being investigated by state police detectives assigned to Ryan’s office and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.