A juvenile bicyclist suffered head trauma and was airlifted to a hospital after a crash in Lowell's Lower Highlands neighborhood on Sept. 10. Lowell police said their preliminary investigation did not indicate that a motor vehicle was involved. The crash happened at the intersection of School and Lawson Streets, prompting police to shut down School Street between Branch and Westford Streets while they investigated.
The crash was first reported over emergency radio broadcast, according to the Lowell Sun, which reported that the bicyclist was transported by medical helicopter. A bicycle was found on its side near Lawson Street, and a pool of blood was visible in the inbound lane of School Street, per the same account. Photos from the scene were captured by Aaron Curtis. The Lowell Police Department was not immediately available for comment.
A Neighborhood Already Flagged for Danger
The crash site is on School Street near Branch Street, which has recorded between 43 and 53 collisions in recent years, including one fatal or serious injury crash and 17 non-serious or possible-injury crashes, according to traffic and safety data attributed to MassDOT and research conducted by the personal-injury law firm Jason Stone, as discussed in the linked traffic-safety discussion. School Street was closed between Branch and Westford Streets during the investigation.
The area is discussed in broader planning and traffic-safety terms. The passage also addresses speed limits and traffic safety in Lowell.
Lowell's Place in a Statewide Bicycle Safety Trend
Lowell's Place in a Statewide Bicycle Safety Trend The crash arrives amid discussion of bicycle collisions across Massachusetts. Statewide, bicycle collisions rose from 1,353 in 2022 to 1,581 in 2024, pushing the share of bike crashes from 10.06 to 11.67 per 1,000 overall motor vehicle accidents over that span, per the same analysis.
The passage also addresses community feedback, speed management and road safety, as well as driver behavior around cyclists.
Emergency Response and Next Steps
The bicyclist was transported by medical helicopter to a Boston-area hospital.
The crash remains under investigation. It remains unclear how the crash occurred, and the victim's current condition has not been confirmed.
