Multiple crashes on Route 140 leave 1 dead, 12 other passengers involved
Multiple area fire departments responded to a series of crashes on Friday, which left 1 driver dead and multiple others injured. Photos source: Lakeville Fire 
Both serious incidents occurred between 5 and 9 p.m. on Route 140 on Friday.
Flames from a tow-truck that exited the highway into a ditch illuminate the tree line along Route 140.
A Lakeville Fire Department apparatus is parked along Route 140. Fire officials reported a driver attempted to bypass traffic and "narrowly" missed first responders and two children in their care.
Multiple area fire departments responded to a series of crashes on Friday, which left 1 driver dead and multiple others injured. Photos source: Lakeville Fire
Both serious incidents occurred between 5 and 9 p.m. on Route 140 on Friday.
Flames from a tow-truck that exited the highway into a ditch illuminate the tree line along Route 140.
A Lakeville Fire Department apparatus is parked along Route 140. Fire officials reported a driver attempted to bypass traffic and "narrowly" missed first responders and two children in their care.
LAKEVILLE — Two significant back-to-back vehicle crashes occurred on Route 140 on Friday, leaving one driver dead and multiple others injured.
According to the Lakeville and Freetown Fire Department, the first crash occurred around 5:40 p.m., near Exit 10, where an overturned tow-truck was also found engulfed in flames. Shortly after, a “near miss” occurred and another three vehicles collided after drivers failed to stop amid traffic.
While en route to the first crash — where Lakeville first responders evaluated three passengers that did not require hospital treatment — Freetown firefighters found an overturned tow-truck engulfed in flames. The truck exited the road and crashed off the highway overpass into the ditch area below the highway.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but the driver was “heavily entrapped” and died, according to fire officials.
During the response, a secondary collision between a tractor trailer and a passenger vehicle occurred. Both passengers from the secondary crash did not require hospital treatment.
Fire officials said a “near miss” then occurred after a vehicle sped down the breakdown lane to bypass traffic. First responders reported the driver fled the scene after “narrowly missing” both first responders and two young children in their care.
Lakeville Fire Chief Michael O’Brien said he and another first responder had a 5-year-old and a toddler in their care when the vehicle sped through the scene.
"The vehicle sped up, and was racing down the breakdown lane trying to cut around traffic,” O’Brien said. “Instead of hitting the brakes to avoid us, he actually accelerated and blindly turned back into the travel lane.”
“I don't know how he missed us,” O’Brien added.
At about 8:15 p.m., another significant crash occurred on Route 140 South, south of County Street.
Three vehicles collided after drivers failed to stop for traffic backed up from the first incident, officials said. A total of 6 patients were transported to area hospitals, two with serious injuries. Another patient was evaluated by first responders, but was not transported for treatment.
O'Brien said incidents similar to Friday's can be avoided if drivers stay alert, focused and slow their speed around highway crash scenes.
The details on the names of those involved in the series of incidents have not been released.
The Lakeville, Freetown and Berkley Fire Departments jointly responded to the multiple crash scenes.
