A silver Jeep Cherokee collided with a Preferred Services dump truck at the intersection of Lake and Kennebec Avenues in Oak Bluffs at around 10:45 am Tuesday.
Oak Bluffs fire chief Nelson Wirtz told The Times at the scene that all seven occupants of the Jeep are being transported to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the dump truck, who was the lone occupant in that vehicle, was uninjured. “There were multiple patients in the [Jeep], many of them children who were unrestrained,” Wirtz said. The crash was deemed a mass casualty incident (MCI) due to the number of injured occupants. “The MCI just gives us a little bit of leeway with how we transport them,” Wirtz said. “At this point, we believe all injuries are low priority.”
The crash happened right in front of the Flying Horses Carousel. Three ambulances, including Oak Bluffs Fire Rescue and Tisbury Ambulance Service, were on the scene. One Oak Bluffs fire truck was also tending to the scene, along with multiple police cruisers from both assisting towns.
A tow truck arrived at the accident at around 11:05 am to extract the Jeep from the intersection. Lake Avenue was blocked off at the time of the crash, and traffic was directed down Circuit Avenue. The road was cleared at around 11:20 am, and was reopened to traffic at approximately 11:30 am.
It is unclear whether any citations will be issued to either the driver of the Jeep or the dump truck. Investigating Oak Bluffs Police Sergeant Christopher Wiggin was not able to be immediately reached for comment.
I certainly hope that the jeep driver be cited for child endangerment.
It’s really disturbing that people don’t insist their children put on seat belts.
Why is it ok for the government to invade my privacy in my car, but not your “privacy” in your womb? One is ‘’my body my choice’’ and the other is ‘’its for your own protection’’ I am certain someone will enlighten me. I do wear a seat belt though and have my grandkids do it.
Why should anyone waste time on the willfully ignorant? It’s pointless.
andy– are you “off topic ?”
Let me provide the cynical answer to your question.
How much do you think it costs for all those kids to get “transported” to the hospital ?
How much do you think it costs for all those kids to get treatment in the emergency room?
Who is going to pay for it all ? Unlikely it will be the driver of the car.
Either the hospital , the government or some insurance company pays for it.
All options will eventually be paid for by you and I.
It’s the same reason some states require helmets on motorcycle riders. Requiring a rider and passenger to purchase a $100 helmet is way cheaper than years of treating someone who insist on their “freedom” to be stupid. After an accident that results in a preventable traumatic brain injury, others will insist that the “freedom lover” should receive extraordinary medical care to remain in a vegetative state for years until the lord finally takes them home.
Who pays for that ?
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