An overnight patrol on Interstate 91 in Chicopee turned chaotic early Saturday when a wrong-way driver crashed into a Massachusetts State Police cruiser, injuring a trooper, his K-9 partner and the driver of another vehicle, authorities said.
State Police said the driver entered the northbound side of I-91 traveling in the wrong direction and slammed into a marked cruiser. Emergency crews brought the trooper, the police dog and the other motorist to a nearby hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. The wrong-way driver was arrested at the scene.
According to The Boston Globe, State Police identified the driver as 28-year-old Jose Santiago of Holyoke. Investigators said Santiago was driving south in the northbound lanes of I-91 as troopers positioned cruisers with lights activated in an attempt to stop him. Police said Santiago’s vehicle first struck a cruiser operated by a trooper from the Massachusetts State Police K-9 unit, then collided head-on with a second passenger vehicle.
“The incident in Chicopee is another reminder of the serious danger created when someone makes the reckless decision to drive while impaired,” Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said in a statement, according to The Boston Globe. Santiago was taken into custody and charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and additional motor-vehicle offenses. State Police said the crash remains under investigation.
Troopers Struck in Recent Weeks
The Chicopee crash is the latest in a troubling run of wrong-way incidents involving State Police. In early May, a wrong-way driver on Route 1 in Lynnfield struck and killed Trooper Kevin Trainor, as reported by WCVB. Less than a month later, surveillance video captured a wrong-way vehicle on Route 1 in Peabody that crashed into a State Police cruiser and injured a trooper, according to WHDH.
State Ramps Up Wrong-Way Detection
The recent crashes have added urgency to efforts to stop wrong-way drivers before they reach high-speed stretches of highway. MassDOT launched a wrong-way detection pilot at 16 ramps in 2022 and is preparing a broader rollout that includes flashing red warning lights and real-time alerts for law enforcement, as NBC Boston reported.
A Boston 25 analysis found the pilot detected nearly 294 wrong-way drivers, and CBS Boston reported officials are exploring an expansion to roughly 200 to 400 camera locations across the state.
Santiago remains in custody as the investigation continues, and State Police have not yet announced an arraignment date. Officials again warned about the dangers of impaired driving while the expanded wrong-way detection network moves forward and investigators work to determine how the vehicle ended up traveling the wrong way on I-91.
