Six Hurt in Massachusetts Crash Involving EMS Responder

SOUTHBRIDGE -- Police said last night that six people in one car were injured in a two-car accident about noon yesterday at Hook, Central and Foster streets and were taken to Harrington Memorial Hospital.

According to police, who did not disclose the names of the injured, Rosa Gutierrez was driving a Mitsubishi Galant and was pulling out of Foster Street, when the car she was driving collided with a Ford Explorer being driven on Central Street by Evan Genkos.

The six people injured were all in the Mitsubishi Galant, according to police.

Police Chief Daniel R. Charette said the Explorer was being driven by a firefighter-emergency medical technician on his way to the fire station on Elm Street in response to an emergency call.

Chief Charette said the red SUV had its emergency light on as it headed toward Main Street on Central Street. He said the maroon Mitsubishi sedan was coming out of Foster Street on its way to Hook Street when the collision occurred. Chief Charette said preliminary indications are that the driver of the Mitsubishi failed to yield the right-of-way. No citations had been issued as of yesterday afternoon.

Firefighters using extrication tools removed the last passenger from the sedan about 12:45. More than 50 people watched, mostly from the parking lot of Los Hermanos Mini Market at the corner of Hook and Central streets.

Chief Charette confirmed a report by witness Kathy Magness, of 80 Pleasant St., who said there were six people in the sedan.

"There was a lot of screaming and yelling," Ms. Magness said, while holding her tan chihuahua, Sassy. "It was really bad. "That Explorer was really moving."

Ms. Magness said a person in the car handed her a 2-month-old baby that was taken to the hospital by ambulance workers.

"The baby had glass in its hair," she said, adding that the infant was being held in its mother's arms and was not in a child seat.

Chief Charette confirmed there was no child seat in the car.

Nicholas J. Sotar, the owner of Sotar-Goatwheels Bicycles, 100 Central St., called 911 when he heard the accident, according to Chief Charette.

Esteban Veras, the owner of Los Hermanos Mini-Market, said he heard a loud crash, and that the impact of the collision caused the Mitsubishi to hit his white van parked in front of the store.

"I know a baby was hurt," he said as several Spanish-speaking customers talked about the accident.

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