A tragic single-car crash on Route 495 claimed the life of a young Franklin woman yesterday. The 19-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene after her 2012 Nissan Altima, which was engulfed in flames, was discovered in the median around 1:10 PM, according to Massachusetts State Police.
State Police-Millbury Barracks, alongside Hopkinton Fire and EMS, responded to the emergency calls that led them to the fiery scene near mile marker 55.2. After extinguishing the blaze, which consumed the vehicle brutally, the unidentified woman was found dead by the responders.
The circumstances that led to the harrowing scene, leaving the Nissan a smoldering wreck, are currently being investigated. This probing endeavor includes the combined efforts of several divisions, according to an official release by the State Police. The State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section, Detective Unit for Middlesex County, MassDOT, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are all piecing together what transpired in the moments before the accident.
Commuters experienced delays as the section of the highway remained closed until the scene was cleared later in the evening, just past 6:00 PM. An update on the investigation, once available, is expected to shed light on the incident's possible cause, the authorities reported.
