Teen killed, passenger injured in I-495 rollover
A Methuen teen was killed Saturday night and her passenger seriously injured when the 2004 Lincoln LS state police said Alexis Spartz was driving northbound on Interstate 495 in Haverhill rolled over and crashed.
Police said an off-duty Methuen firefighter, two off-duty troopers and Haverhill firefighters pitched in to free Spartz, 18, and her 19-year-old passenger from the mangled wreck and render first aid.
The crash occurred about 6 p.m. Saturday. The vehicle came to rest on its roof next to a guard rail.
Spartz was pronounced dead at Lawrence General Hospital, police said.
Her passenger, whose name was not released, was transported to Tufts Medical Center.
The cause of the crash was under investigation.
“Unfortunately we lost one of them,” Methuen Mayor James Jajuga told the Eagle-Tribune. “I just feel so terrible for the families. It’s a horrible tragedy. It’s a tragedy any time you lose a child, particularly during a holiday period and the Easter holiday. It is just a terrible, terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to them.
“After the families are notified and have an appropriate time to grieve, we will be reaching out to them,” Jajuga told the newspaper. “If they have any concerns or needs, we will help steer them toward the help they need.”
Spartz’s family could not be reached for comment.
Also at 6 p.m. Saturday, a 30-year-old Saugus woman driving south on I-495 in Norton was injured when state police said a wild turkey hit the windshield of her 2014 Toyota Corolla.
The woman was treated at the scene for injuries she sustained from flying glass, police said.
Meanwhile, five people were taken to area hospitals yesterday morning following what state police said was a two-car crash in the eastbound lanes of the Massachusetts Turnpike near the electronic tolls in Allston.
The cause of the crash and the nature of the injuries was not immediately clear.
No charges were immediately announced.