2 Dead In Head-On Crash Caused By Wrong-Way Driver On 495
LAWRENCE (CBS) -- Two people are dead after a wrong-way driver caused a head-on, multi-car crash on Interstate 495, Mass. State Police said. The crash closed down the entire northbound side of the highway on just before noon Wednesday.
According to State Police, a Kia Sportage, driven by a 38-year-old woman from Lawrence on the southbound side of the highway crossed over the median and sideswiped a Ford F350.
The woman's SUV continued and struck a Honda Pilot head-on and then hit a Toyota RAV4.
State police said the wrong-way driver and the male passenger in the Honda were pronounced dead at the scene.
It is unclear why the Kia crossed the median.
The driver of the Honda, a 55-year-old woman from Lawrence, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The driver and the passenger of the Toyota, a 58-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman both from Andover, suffered non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Ford, a 59-year-old man from Dracut, was uninjured.
The victims' identities have not been released.
Multiple fire trucks, ambulances, and state police cruisers responded to the scene. In the meantime, traffic was diverted to I-93 at Exit 40.
The highway reopened around 3 p.m.
State Police will continue to investigate the cause of the crash.