A 50-year-old Mashpee man was seriously injured late Wednesday night when his Toyota Tacoma left Boardley Road in Sandwich and struck a tree, trapping him inside the wreckage until first responders could cut him free. Sandwich Police found the man trapped in his vehicle at 10:16 p.m., and his injuries were severe enough to require a helicopter flight for advanced medical care.
According to a press release reported by the Cape Cod Times, the crash remains under investigation by Sandwich Police. Sandwich Fire Department personnel used the Jaws of Life to cut open the wreckage and free the driver, according to Cape Wide News. Sandwich Police were assisted in the investigation by the Barnstable Police Department's Accident Reconstruction Team and a Crime Identification Officer from the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office.
From a Cape Cod Roadside to a Rhode Island Trauma Bay
Once freed from the truck, the man was taken to Sandwich High School to meet a MedFlight helicopter, per the same report. From there, the helicopter transported him off-Cape to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence — the sole Level 1 Trauma Center serving Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. The Sandwich Fire Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the man's condition as of Friday, the Cape Cod Times reported.
Severely injured patients may be transported by ambulance or helicopter to Level 1 trauma centers off-Cape, according to the HMP Global Learning Network.
A Narrow, Tree-Lined Route With a Recent History
Boardley Road, where the pickup left the pavement, is officially designated a protected Scenic Road by the Town of Sandwich under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40, Section 15C, according to the Town of Sandwich. That designation protects the mature trees and stone walls lining the road, a common feature of historic scenic routes that can leave narrow shoulders for passing motorists.
The crash is not an isolated event for the area. Just five weeks earlier, on August 9, emergency crews responded to another serious multi-injury collision on nearby Farmersville Road, located between Boardley Road and Southpoint Drive, as reported by Cape Cod Daily News.
Part of a Busy Stretch for Sandwich First Responders
The Boardley Road crash adds to a string of serious traffic incidents that have kept Sandwich's public safety agencies busy in recent months. On August 1, a crash on Route 6 prompted assistance from West Barnstable and Bourne, as Hoodline reported at the time.
What caused the Toyota Tacoma to leave the roadway on Boardley Road has not been determined, and the investigation by Sandwich Police, with assistance from Barnstable County crash reconstruction specialists, is ongoing.
