Wrong-way driver hits ambulance on Mass. Pike in Natick; 4 people injured, 1 critically

NATICK, Mass. — A wrong-way driver who police say was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic on the Mass. Pike hit an ambulance carrying a patient before crashing near the Natick Service Plaza early Wednesday.

State Police said the driver of the car is in critical condition. A State Police spokesperson said troopers attempted to stop the driver with a “tire deflation device” after spotting him speeding in a Nissan Versa in the wrong direction on the eastbound side of I-90 in Newton just after 3 a.m. Wednesday.

Troopers near the Natick Service Plaza laid down stop sticks across the eastbound lane of the Mass Pike in an attempt to stop the car. Upon driving over them, the driver allegedly crashed into an ambulance transporting a “non-critical” 49-year-old female near Exit 13 in Natick.

Police said two medical personnel for Vital Ambulance and the patient that was being transported all have minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals. The driver was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with life-threatening injuries. His current condition is not known but police said he was critically injured.

The impact from the crash scattered debris across the Pike and shut down all lanes of traffic for several hours. It reopened around 6 a.m. The investigation into the crash is ongoing. State police said they will release more information later Wednesday.

So far, officials have not released the name of the driver of the car. State police said he did not have identification on him when he crashed and they are working to verify his identity. That driver will likely be given a summons on criminal charges, police said, adding that the details on which charges the driver will face will be determined following the investigation.

Accident reconstruction teams are investigating where the driver initially entered the Pike and why he was driving on the wrong side of the road.

Wrong-way crash shuts down part of Mass. Pike eastbound in Natick

State Police said a trooper on the Brighton portion of the Mass. Pike had initially seen the driver speeding in the wrong direction and pursued. After that trooper had caught up to the car, that driver refused to stop, prompting police to order the trooper to stop pursuing the car.

Shortly after that trooper complied with the order, State Police reached out to troopers in Natick, who deployed the stop sticks.

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