A crash at the curve of New York and Temahigan Avenues in Oak Bluffs left one person dead and another injured early Wednesday morning. Oak Bluffs Fire and EMS Chief Nelson Wirtz said the crash occurred at about 12:50 am, and left a Pontiac Grand Am “virtually destroyed” in the yard of a Crystal Lake Road home. Firefighters used hydraulic tools to extract the two people in the car, Chief Wirtz said.
“One was deceased on scene,” Wirtz said, and another was taken to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital with “significant injuries,” and subsequently airlifted.
The car was crumpled, with significant intrusion into the passenger’s side, and a collapsed dashboard, Wirtz said. Fire personnel remained on scene until almost 4 am, he said. Oak Bluffs Police, Massachusetts State Police, and Tisbury EMS also responded to the crash.
In the next 72 hours, Oak Bluffs firefighters and EMS personnel will be among those who will undergo a critical incident stress debrief to help process their experience, Wirtz said.
Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle told The Times speed appears to have been a factor in the crash — the operator “failed to negotiate the corner.” Chief Searle said it was the driver who died. Both people in the car were male, and won’t be identified until next of kin are informed of what happened, Searle said. The Massachusetts State Police have taken over the investigation, Searle said. His officers, along with dispatchers, doctors, and nurses, will also attend the debrief, he said.
