A car turning onto Thorndike Street from Revere Street in Revere slammed into an oncoming moped Monday afternoon, sending the 28-year-old rider flipping through the air before he landed hard on his back. Police say the crash happened just before 4 p.m., and the moped driver was rushed to the hospital but is expected to be okay.
The driver of the car, 33-year-old Joshua Cordova of Prosper, Texas, was issued a criminal motor vehicle citation for failure to yield at an intersection, according to police cited by WHDH 7News. He was not arrested at the scene, and he declined medical attention and stayed put while officers investigated. Surveillance video obtained by the station from two angles shows the moped rider being struck just as the car's airbags deployed.
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 89, Section 8, a driver making a left turn across oncoming traffic must yield the right of way to any approaching vehicle until the turn can be completed with reasonable safety, according to Gavagan Law, LLC. That statute forms the legal basis for the citation issued against Cordova.
Bystanders Rushed In After Hearing What Sounded Like an Explosion
Witnesses ran out of a nearby store after hearing the crash, and business owner Anthony Tammaro said the impact sounded like a big explosion out front, sending his customers running outside. Jason Calnan, who was among those who rushed to help, described the sound as loud like a bang or a firework. Calnan said the moped driver looked like he was in a movie and could not get up off the pavement.
Calnan and others who stopped to help provided a blanket to cushion the injured man's head as he lay in the roadway. The rider, still conscious, told them he wanted to call his mother.
Cordova Faces a Ticking Clock on His Citation
Because Cordova was cited rather than arrested, he now faces a tight legal deadline. Massachusetts law gives a driver just four calendar days from the offense date to request a clerk-magistrate hearing before a formal criminal complaint and court summons are issued automatically, per the Serpa Law Office. Missing that window means the case proceeds straight to a court summons without the chance for a pre-arraignment hearing.
The moped rider, meanwhile, may face a steeper financial climb during his recovery than a typical car-crash victim would. Mopeds in Massachusetts are exempt from mandatory insurance and titling requirements, which also excludes their operators from the state's no-fault Personal Injury Protection medical benefits available to car occupants, according to Fiorentino Legal, P.C. That means the injured rider must pursue compensation directly through Cordova's liability insurance rather than tapping his own no-fault coverage for immediate treatment costs.
Revere Street Has Seen Repeated Two-Wheeler Crashes
This was not the only two-wheeler crash on the corridor recently. Emergency crews responded to a separate motorcycle crash on Revere Street just two days earlier, on Saturday, August 8, that left a rider down on the roadway, per Fiorentino Legal, P.C.
State transportation data adds broader context to the crash pattern. Left-turning vehicles striking oncoming two-wheelers are among the two most common crash types resulting in severe or fatal motorcycle and moped injuries statewide, according to MassDOT safety campaign data. That trend comes amid a sharp rise in fatalities: Massachusetts recorded 71 motorcycle operator deaths in 2024, a 22% jump from the 58 recorded the year before, per figures cited by CMSC Driving School.
Massachusetts law also generally presumes a driver executing a left turn across traffic to be more than 50% at fault in collisions with oncoming vehicles or riders, though insurance adjusters can still weigh factors like speed or visibility, according to Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers. That comparative-fault framework will likely shape how any civil claim between Cordova and the injured rider plays out.
Under state law, moped operators must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver's license or learner's permit, and their vehicles must be registered with the RMV even though no motorcycle endorsement is required, per Mass.gov. Massachusetts also mandates DOT-approved helmets for all moped and scooter riders regardless of age.
