‘Honored to serve’
Trooper dies more than 2 years after being struck during stop
More than two years after he was struck by a car and pinned between it and another vehicle while conducting a traffic stop on Route 3 in Billerica, 58-yearold Massachusetts State Police Trooper Thomas Devlin — a married father of four — died Thursday of injuries suffered in the accident.
Devlin’s first day on the job was July 8, 1985, according to state police. He remained a trooper until the day that he died in the line of duty.
“Tom Devlin was a remarkable husband, father, brother and friend,” his family said in a statement released by Devlin’s brotherin-law, Jim Peterson, on Friday. “He loved and honored his family in every aspect in the way he lived his life. Tom devoted his life to Christ, his wife and children, and the Massachusetts State Police.”
Devlin was working out of the Concord Barracks, as he had for much of his career, on July 26, 2018, when he pulled over a vehicle just south of Route 129 on Route 3 south in Billerica, got out of his cruiser, and began talking to the driver of the vehicle he had stopped, according to state police. It was about 2:16 p.m., when a Toyota Prius driven by a 53-year-old Haverhill man struck Devlin.
“The Prius struck the trooper and pinned him between the two vehicles,” state police wrote in a press release at the time.
Devlin suffered serious injuries to both his upper and lower body and was taken from the scene to Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, where he was stabilized.
“Trooper Devlin underwent many surgeries, and today, September 3, 2020, after a courageous battle, he succumbed to those injuries,” state police spokesman David Procopio said in a prepared statement Thursday.
State police announced the death in a tweet on Thursday afternoon, along with two photographs of Devlin, and Procopio released a statement later in the night. Devlin holds a sign saying “family” in one of the photos.
Devlin is survived by his wife, Nancy, and four children, Matthew, Paul, Rachel and Hannah, as well as others, according to Procopio.
“He loved protecting and serving the citizens of the Commonwealth,” the family said in their statement. “He was honored to serve among his fellow troopers. Words cannot express our sorrow. Our family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support. We were blessed to have Tom in our lives.”
“Trooper Thomas Devlin upheld the highest ideals of the Massachusetts State Police: integrity, dedication to duty, and service to others,” said Massachusetts State Police Col. Christopher S. Mason in a statement. “He loved and respected the job, and the job loved and respected him. Above all, he was utterly devoted to his family, and epitomized what it meant to be a loving husband and father. Trooper Devlin was known in the Department for his hard work, his rock solid character, and his commitment to being a reliable friend, coworker and public servant — a Trooper who could be counted on by his colleagues and the public. It was in service to the public, in the act of keeping our roads safe, that he gave his last, and the ultimate, sacrifice. We are lesser today for his loss and we will miss his smile.”
Police in Wilmington, where Devlin was from, offered condolences and prayers to state police along with the FBI and police departments from across New England. Several local departments, such as Littleton, noted in posts on social media that Devlin would often help out in their towns while patrolling out of the Concord Barracks.
At the time of the crash, state police said the Prius “drifted from the right lane into the breakdown lane,” but no charges were announced against the driver, who was not identified by name in public statements at the time. The crash was investigated by the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction and Crime Scene Services sections of the state police.
Procopio did not identify the driver on Thursday, either, but said that after an investigation the Haverhill man was eventually charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, marked lanes violation, and failure to move over for an emergency vehicle.
Meghan Kelly, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, identified the driver as Kevin Francis of Haverhill, and said the charges against Francis remain pending in Lowell District Court. Kelly said it was too early to comment on whether Francis could now face upgraded or additional charges.
Francis is scheduled to go on trial on Jan. 26. He is being represented by attorney Robert LeBlanc of Methuen, according to court records. LeBlanc did not immediately return a message seeking comment.