Massachusetts Pedestrian Deaths Fell During Pandemic: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Tuesday, March 23. And spring has sprung. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Seven students were injured in a school bus crash
• A Lowell Regional Transit Authority employee told a woman "Shut up you low-class Black person," according to a complaint filed on behalf of the woman Monday by Lawyers for Civil Rights.
• A rope was found tied to a tree in a way that gave it a "noose-like appearance."

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

As speeding, distracted and impaired driving, and other dangerous driver behaviors spiked, nearly 3,000 pedestrians were killed on U.S. roads during the first six months of the pandemic.

The number represents a staggering 20 percent increase from the previous year when compared to the number of miles driven during the same time period, according to the GHSA's Spotlight on Highway Safety.

But Massachusetts was among those where pedestrian deaths actually decreased during that time period, according to the report. In 2019, Massachusetts recorded 32 pedestrian deaths. That number decreased to 17 during the first six months of 2020, a 47 percent decrease from the year before. Read the full story.

How has Gov. Baker handled the coronavirus pandemic? Take the Patch reader survey.

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Tuesday's Other Top Stories

7 students injured in bus crash: A Shrewsbury school bus carrying 10 children and a tractor-trailer crashed on Route 20 on Tuesday morning. Seven students who were on their way to Al-Hamra Academy, were taken to the hospital with what were described as minor injuries.

Passenger accuses transit agency of racism: A Lowell Regional Transit Authority employee told a Black immigrant woman "Shut up you low-class Black person," according to a complaint filed on behalf of the woman Monday by Lawyers for Civil Rights. Lucia Appia's complaint outlines other accusations of harassment, discrimination and violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

North Shore noose: A rope found tied to a tree branch in a way that gave it a "noose-like appearance" was found in Linscott Park in Swampscott on Monday morning. Police said they are investigating the origins of the rope tied with a loop at the bottom that made it resemble a noose. Police said the bottom of the loop is approximately 4 feet from the ground.

By The Numbers

863: The number of flowers staff at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital planted in front of the main entrance Monday. Each flower represents a coronavirus patient the hospital has treated since the start of the pandemic.

For information on getting a coronavirus vaccine in Massachusetts, visit Patch's information hub.