One person was killed and another had to be flown to a hospital after a chain-reaction crash on Route 95 in Topsfield Friday afternoon, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.
Massachusetts State Police said two occupants of one of the vehicles involved fled on foot from the scene attempting to run from authorities. Troopers were able to apprehend one of the suspects, later identified as 30-year-old David Guzman of Lynn. But search efforts for the second suspect, believed to be a Lynn male, remains ongoing.
Around 4:20 p.m. a 2008 GMC Acadia SUV occupied by Guzman and the second suspect was traveling southbound on Route 95 near Exit 70 when, for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle suddenly and rapidly decelerated and came to a stop. At the same time, a 52-year-old Peabody man driving a 2007 Chevrolet Impala began to brake in an attempt to avoid hitting the stopped Acadia.
As the Impala decelerated, a 2006 Chevrolet Express Van began to slow down and move to its left in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid a collision. The Impala then struck the Express Van, ejecting two of its passengers.
One of the ejected passengers, identified as Valkisergio Costa Silva, 44, of Centerville, was determined to be deceased at the scene.
The second ejected passenger, a 30-year-old man, suffered serious life-threatening injuries and was flown to a Boston hospital for treatment.
The van’s operator, a 32-year-old Yarmouth man, was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries.
The operator of the Impala had no apparent injuries.
Following the crash of the other two vehicles, the Acadia pulled over to the breakdown lane and Guzman and the second Lynn man fled on foot into the woods, prompting an extensive search by several troopers, State Police K9 Unit teams, and a State Police Air Wing helicopter crew.
Guzman was arrested and charged with interfering with a police officer. He later posted bail and is awaiting a court date.
However, the second Lynn man who police are searching for was observed by witnesses running in the area of the 17th and 18th holes at the Fernwood Country Club’s golf course. He is described as a Hispanic male who was wearing a gray T-shirt.
If you have any information you are urged to contact the police.
The crash is being investigated by the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, other elements of the State Police and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective Unit.
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