Shrewsbury Resident Killed After Exiting Moving Vehicle

Just after 5:00 last night a trooper from the Massachusetts State Police was patrolling Route 290 in Worcester when he found the victim of a crash laying on the road.

According to a release from the state police, the officer had stopped behind a vehicle that had crashed in to the guardrail when he discovered the fatality.

"Preliminary reports indicate that the operator of the passenger car, a 2012 Toyota Camry, for reasons yet to be determined, exited the vehicle while it was in motion on the roadway. The person fell to the ground and was then struck by the tractor trailer," the release says.

Catherine Berthiaume, 51, of Shrewsbury was determined to be dead at the scene.

The eastbound stretch of highway was completely closed for more than an hour while troopers investigated the crash. It was partially reopened at 7:00 p.m. and fully opened at 8:20 p.m.

"The facts and circumstances of the crash remain under investigation by Troop C of the Massachusetts State Police with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office."