BARRE, Mass. — On Wednesday morning, 17-year-old Brittany Murch died at the scene and her brother, 15-year-old Griffin, was seriously injured after she lost control and hit a tree.
"Sadly, this road has claimed a lot of people's lives in accidents over the years," retired Barre firefighter Dennis Flemming told FOX25's Kerry Kavanaugh.
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Route 62 is long, winding and hilly and the trees that line the road make a dense canopy; the stretch of road where the teenager crashed is a notoriously dangerous spot, said Flemming. He said that he's responded to countless accidents along this road, which serves as one of the main thoroughfares to town.
"I was involved in a bad wreck not far from here in 1986. I had just gotten on the fire department and they had to use the jaws to cut me out," he said.
He said he lived it all over again on Wednesday morning when Murch was driving her brother Griffin to school and crashed. Investigators say speed and icy road conditions may have caused the crash.
The tall pine trees wrap around the road, said Flemming, preventing the sun from shining on parts the road. In bad weather, black ice can take a long time to melt.
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FOX25 Investigates also spoke the Barre fire chief. He also said parts of Route 62 are notoriously dangerous. During 2015's historic winter, he said his department responded to calls along the road multiple times per week.
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