Woman charged after fatal head-on crash in Shirley

SHIRLEY, Mass. — An Ashby woman is charged in connection with a deadly crash in Shirley.

Victoria Marble, 39, is charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and a marked lanes violation.

Marble was taken to the hospital and was arraigned on Friday afternoon in Ayer District Court with a broken clavicle.

"They had noticed that she was unsteady on her feet, and smelled strongly of alcohol," one attorney said.

Police were called to the area of Great Road and Longley Road just after 11 p.m. Thursday.

Responding officers found two cars with serious front end damage.

The driver of one of the cars, a woman from Lunenberg, was taken to the hospital where she later died. Her name has not been released.

Prosecutors say Marble was drunk, and admitted to drinking three glasses of wine at a nearby restaurant.

However, her story wasn't consistent with her direction of travel.

One witness said she was still shaken after the incident.

"It was horrifying to see," Amber Thompson said. "I saw the vehicle cross right over. I thought they were taking a left turn, but it was just directly right into that other car."

Another witness reported the Toyota Land Cruiser crossed over the double yellow lines in Shirley, and smashes into the Buick Rendezvous.

"Both of them, full speed, there was no brakes involved," Thompson said. "They didn't really even have a chance to react to it."

Thompson and the other witness pulled over and ran to help. While one driver was badly hurt, her passenger was screaming for help.

"The doors were just smashed in," Thompson said. "There was like nothing we could do really to try and open them."

Thompson is struggling with what she witnessed, and is thinking of the victim who lost her life.

"My heart goes out to the family," Thompson said. "We're sending prayers for them."

Marble could face additional charges, including motor vehicle homicide. The judge set her bail at $5,000, and is requiring that she doesn't get behind the wheel.

The accident remains under investigation.

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