QUINCY, Mass. — A Quincy auto auction has made huge changes after five people were killed at the Billerica auto auction earlier this month.
Every Monday at Quincy Auto Auction is controlled chaos the dance of dealers and cars as part of the art of the sale
“It shouldn't be that people come to do business and they get killed or hurt,” said Dan Quirk, owner of the Quincy Auto Auction.
“You will never have a safe environment in car auction if you don't do it this way,” he said.
For Quirk, the accident at Lynnway Auto Auction earlier this month was a wakeup call that something needs to change in his industry
Quincy is going digital, lane by lane. Boston 25 News got an exclusive look inside at two of the lanes, now shut down. Instead of being driven slowly down the lanes, cars are displayed on digital billboards - along with condition reports. Dealers can examine the cars in person, safely parked, before the sale.
“I feel safer, after what happened in Billerica, it's a tragedy,” said Casey DeVincent, a dealer.
Devincent and his brother were close friends with Elliott Rowlands, the fourth victim who died days after the chaos inside the Lynnway Auto Auction.
They said changes like the ones made at the Quincy Auto Auction could have saved Rowland’s life.
“We got three kids, my brother's got two kids, we were just in the spot of the accident minutes before, so definitely makes you think,” he said.
Other dealers are upset, telling Boston 25 News off camera, that they want to touch and see the cars drive through.
Quirk admits change is hard, but he has no doubt that in this case, it’s necessary.
“It's a change, it's a good change, and it's embracing technology to make things safe,” he said.
Staff here are turning one lane digital each week, with hopes to have the entire operation on video by next end of next month.
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