1 dead, 19 injured after SUV crashes into Apple Store in Hingham
HINGHAM -- One person is dead after an SUV crashed through an Apple Store in Hingham Monday morning. Nineteen people were injured, multiple with life-threatening and limb-threatening injuries.
A criminal investigation has been opened against the driver of the Toyota 4Runner. Plymouth Country District Attorney Timothy Cruz told reporters the driver, who has not been identified, was with police officers and was not immediately hospitalized after the crash. According to I-Team sources, the driver is a 53-year-old Massachusetts man.
"This morning was an unthinkable morning and people are trying to get through it and process what happened. This investigation is active and ongoing," said Cruz.
The man who died has been identified as 65-year-old Kevin Bradley of New Jersey. An Apple spokesperson said Bradley was "supporting recent construction at the store."
Police responded to Derby Street around 10:45 a.m. Monday.
"Hingham Police Department and Hingham Fire Department responded, found multiple patients injured out in front of the store, and in the store, including a few patients that were pinned against the wall by the vehicle," said Hingham Fire Chief Steve Murphy.
More than a dozen ambulances were called to the scene to transport victims. Nineteen people were taken to South Shore Hospital. Two of the patients were then transported to Boston hospitals.
"The injuries were somewhat diverse, ranging from some pretty serious head trauma to some pretty decent lower-extremity trauma, mangled limbs, but it was pretty much the gambit. We had patients with confounding factors, chronic medical illnesses as well that made things a little more difficult than just the standard trauma patient without other medical things going on as well," said South Shore Hospital Dr. William Tollefsen.
Hospital officials said given the time of day, and day of the week, the hospital was well-staffed and able to quickly take in the victims.
Video of the scene shows a large hole in the glass of the storefront and multiple people on stretchers.
Jason Stott works nearby and witnessed the event. "There's probably close to ten ambulances in the parking lot right now, along with a lot of fire engines, and police vehicles," he described shortly after the crash. "The parking lot was very, very busy so I'm assuming there was a lot of people in the store."
He said from his vantage point, he couldn't see the car. "It must have traveled all the way to the back of the store," Stott said.
Another witness who spoke to WBZ-TV said she was sitting in a nearby Barnes and Noble at the time. "I was just sitting next to the window and I heard a big crash. It sounded like a lot of glass just smashing," she described. "It was scary because no one knew what had just happened and what was going on, there was a lot of people running around."
"I saw the car in the back of the store so it looked like there were people that may have been trapped back there," she continued.
Kathleen Leombruno's brother is the manager of the Apple Store. She came to the scene even though her brother was not hurt. "I'm devastated for those people who are so injured and to that one poor soul that's no longer here," Leombruno said. "I'm so grateful that it's not my brother, but it doesn't take the ease away knowing that all these people are injured, however it happened."
Hours later, the black Toyota 4Runner was towed from the scene.
An Apple spokesperson released a statement to WBZ-TV, saying: "We are devastated by the shocking events at Apple Derby Street today and the tragic loss of a professional who was onsite supporting recent construction at the store. Our hearts go out to our team members and customers who were injured and all of those who were affected by this terrible incident. We are doing everything we can to support our team members and customers at this very difficult time."
It's unclear what led up to the crash.
