Crime & Safety
Head-On Crash Injures 5, 3 Seriously, in Edgartown
One serious crash, a minor OUI collision and a violent confrontation over a parking place were reported in Edgartown on the Fourth of July.
The Fourth of July was a busy one for the Island's first responders, with two vehicle crashes and an assault reported by local newspapers.
According to the Cape Cod Times, five people were taken to Martha's Vineyard Hospital after their speeding car hit a taxi head-on on Meshacket Road. Three of the victims were seriously injured and one was taken to a Boston hospital, according to the report.
The Cape Cod Times and Martha's Vineyard Times both report that the driver of the speeding car passed Oak Bluffs Police Chief Erik Blake, who estimated it was traveling at about 60 miles an hour in a posted 10 m.p.h. zone, before sideswiping another vehicle and smashing into the oncoming cab.
The driver, identified as Sean Law, faces criminal charges, police told the newspapers.
About an hour after this crash, which took place shortly after 5 p.m., the Martha's Vineyard Times reports a second collision was apparently caused after an Edgartown motorist cut in front of traffic and hit two other vehicles near the triangle where the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and Beach Road converge.
Several people were treated at the scene of this crash, but there were no serious injuries, the Times reports, adding that driver William Bassett, 66, was arrested and cited for OUI and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.
The Martha's Vineyard Times also reports that a Dartmouth man, identified as Mark Juaquin, was arrested for allegedly punching out the driver and passenger of a car on North Summer Street in Edgartown during a dispute over parking before the parade.
A Chilmark police officer in town to assist with parade security chased and caught the fleeing suspect, who faces charges of assault and disorderly conduct, the Times reports.
Arrest information does not indicate convictions.
For more police news on and off Martha's Vineyard, please see our Police & Fire news section.
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