Billerica police sergeant killed in excavator accident at detail
Was directing a tractor-trailer when struck
A Billerica police sergeant died after an excavator backed into him as he was working a detail at a construction site Friday afternoon, authorities said.
Sergeant Ian Taylor, 49, was directing a tractor-trailer around the construction site near the intersection of Boston Road and Pollard Street when the excavator hit him at about 2 p.m., Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan told reporters, according to audio of the news briefing.
Taylor was taken to Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, where he was pronounced dead, Ryan said.
Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost said Taylor worked in law enforcement for 21 years and joined the force in Billerica in 2011.
“He loved, loved helping the people in this community,” Frost said. “He was out today on a beautiful day in Billerica . . . and I saw him before this tragedy and he was happy.”
Frost was surrounded by members of law enforcement as he spoke outside the hospital and said more wanted to be there.
“We’re all very emotional. It’s been a long day,” Frost said. “Every single one of the officers that work with Ian love him, love him like a brother, and would be here if they could.”
Frost said Taylor’s wife and two children, as well as his parents, were at the hospital with him.
Taylor worked on the department’s substance abuse prevention committee, a group that goes out weekly to meet with people who have substance issues and finds ways to help them, Frost said.
Taylor was previously assigned to a federal drug task force, he said.
“His life had meaning. He’s helped so many people; he’s saved so many people,” Frost said. “And I’m proud, proud to have had him working for me here in Billerica . . . . We’re going to need a lot of time to heal as we work though this.”
An investigation into Taylor’s death is in its “early stages,” Ryan said. The accident is also under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, she said.
“In the days and weeks ahead, we’ll have a determination with more specificity as to what took place, but we do not have that now,” she said.
Taylor came from a family of law enforcement officers, the Lawrence Police Department said in a statement. His father, Wayne Taylor, is a retired Lawrence police officer, and his brother, Zach Taylor, works as a detective on the force. Ian Taylor worked for the department from 2003 to 2010, the statement said.
Taylor worked for the Wilmington Police Department from 2010 to 2011, Wilmington police said in a social media post.
Memorial messages were posted online Friday night by other Massachusetts police departments and law enforcement agencies.
The state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said Secretary Terrence Reidy and his staff were “deeply saddened by the tragic loss” of Taylor.