A 54-year-old Taunton woman was killed Wednesday night after her car left the roadway and crashed into a wooded area in Raynham, according to local prosecutors. First responders found a single vehicle down a steep slope off the road near King Philip and Gardiner streets, with the driver as the only occupant. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and officials have not released a cause of the crash.
Authorities identified the victim as Maura Whittemore, 54, of Taunton. She suffered significant injuries in the wreck. Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Bristol County district attorney’s office, along with Raynham and Taunton police, have opened an investigation into what led to the deadly crash.
Scene and Investigation
According to NBC Boston, officers were called to the area around 8 p.m. and found a single motor vehicle in the woods, well below the roadway, with clear and extensive damage. The car had come to rest down a steep embankment, which complicated access for emergency crews.
Investigators from the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the district attorney’s office are leading the probe and coordinating with Raynham and Taunton police. For now, officials have not said what might have caused Whittemore’s vehicle to leave the road or whether any contributing factors have been identified.
Local Setting
The crash site sits near the intersection of King Philip and Gardiner streets, an area that drops off into woods and wetlands close to Raynham’s community garden and the Borden Colony playfields. The terrain there falls away quickly from the pavement, which helps explain why the vehicle ended up well below the roadway and why it took a response down a steep slope to reach it.
Per Raynham Parks and Recreation, the town’s community garden is located right at the King Philip and Gardiner intersection, not far from where the car was discovered.
Investigation Ongoing
The Bristol County district attorney’s office has said the crash remains under active investigation and that more information will be released when available. Officials have not yet provided any explanation for why the vehicle left the roadway or how it ended up down the slope.
As reported by NBC Boston, State Police detectives assigned to the DA’s office are working the case alongside Raynham and Taunton police, who are piecing together the sequence of events that led to the fatal crash.
