Attorney Hits And Kills Man With SUV Near Brockton Courthouse
BROCKTON (CBS) -- A man was killed in Brockton Wednesday morning when an SUV accelerated backward rapidly, striking him and dragging him across a street.
John Buckley, 66, of Bridgewater, was taken to Brockton Hospital and later died.
The crash happened near the Brockton Courthouse, at Warren Avenue and West Elm Street around 8:01 a.m. Wednesday. Police confirmed the driver was a defense attorney, though she has not yet been identified, as no charges have yet been filed.
They said she was backing her Mercedes SUV into a spot in the courthouse parking lot, when she accidentally hit the gas and flew backward about 100 feet in total.
The SUV then crossed West Elm Street, driving backward out of the parking lot, up a hill, through some bushes, and onto a sidewalk, where a group of men were sitting under the shade.
The victim was struck and dragged across the street, and the SUV came to rest against an abandoned building on the other side of West Elm Street.
Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said the crash is under investigation.
Cruz added that the driver was "very distraught" and was brought to the hospital as a result. She was not injured in the incident.
"To see whether or not the car was functioning properly, or whether it was not functioning properly, operator error, was it vehicle error? Those are the things that need to be looked at nowadays," Cruz said.
Leslie Rivera, a chef at a nearby cafe, was walking to work when the crash happened. He said that, as he passed the men on the street, the SUV came roaring through the bushes. He told WBZ-TV's Bill Shields that it missed him by only inches, and he considers himself very lucky.
"That guy was literally under the white SUV being run over," said Rivera. "Today when I get home, I'm going to get down on my hands and knees and say a prayer."
The driver, who police said was extremely distraught, stayed at the scene to talk to police. She was taken to Good Samaritan hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
