Wrong-Way Driver Suspected In Fatal Crash On Route 24

A 44-year-old Tiverton man is dead after his pickup truck was struck by a wrong-way driver and burst into flames on Rt. 24 north in Bridgewater, MA, according to Massachusetts State Police.

Police said on Monday that the four-car at about 4 a.m. on Sunday likely resulted after the driver of a 2010 Toyota Corolla was reported heading south in the northbound lane in West Bridgewater near the Easton town line.

"We believe the driver was a 19-year-old Mansfield woman, but formal identification should be made by tomorrow," State Police said in a statement. "The Corolla rolled over after striking the pickup truck head on, and then may have been struck by another vehicle. The operator suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead on-scene."

According to reports, the Tiverton man's 1999 GMC pickup caught fire and the man  was trapped in the burning vehicle. He was pronounced dead on scene. His passenger, a 42-year-old woman also from Tiverton, was able to escape from the burning vehicle with minor injuries.

The entire highway was closed down as a result of debris from the impact that was thrown across both lanes of travel.

Southbound lanes were opened first, by 7:00 a.m., and northbound was entirely opened at 10:25 a.m.

The other two vehicles involved were a 2002 Chevy Tahoe operated by a 36-year-old man from Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 2003 Chevy Cavalier operated by a 66-year-old Swansea man, police said. Both men suffered minor injuries from the accident.

Police are not currently releasing any names, and the accident is still under investigation.

"The facts and circumstances of the crash, including why and how the Corolla's driver got onto Route 24 going the wrong way, remain under investigation by Troop D of the State Police and our Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS)," State Police said. "CARS is in the process of analyzing physical evidence to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to and during the crash."