UPDATE: Victim Identified in Fatal Crash on Rte. 128 in Danvers

Danvers, MA - A Hamilton man was killed in a three-car accident on Rte. 128 in Danvers on Monday morning.

State police identified the man as Wayne Panzner, 59, of Hamilton.

Just after 9 a.m. on Monday, troopers from the State Police Barracks in Danvers responded to reports of a three-car crash on Route 128 northbound in Danvers.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Roland Cormier indicates that Panzner, driving a 2015 Jeep Renegade stopped Route 128 northbound in the right travel lane. The Renegade then reportedly began traveling north again when, for reasons still under investigation, it side-swiped a Ford Explorer and then hit the rear end of a Honda Civic.

The Renegade’s operator and sole occupant, Panzner, was transported to Beverly Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The ongoing investigation is looking at whether he may have suffered a medical event immediately prior to the crash.

The Honda’s operator and sole occupant, a 54-year-old woman from Reading, was transported to the hospital with minor injuries The Ford’s operator and sole occupant, a 28-year-old male from Somerville, was not injured.

The right travel lane was closed for approximately 1 ½ hours.

The cause of this crash remains under investigation by Troop A of the Massachusetts State Police with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS).

State Police were also assisted on scene by members of the Danvers Police and Fire Departments and EMS