A 32-year-old man from Walpole has died after the SUV he was driving struck a utility pole and then crashed into a motel in Westwood, Massachusetts, on Monday afternoon.
Police were called to the Budget Inn on Route 1 around 4 p.m. When officers arrived, they found a sport utility vehicle that had hit a telephone pole and the side of the motel building before flipping onto its roof.
The driver was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. Authorities have not released his name.
Witnesses Describe Chaotic Scene
Aerial footage from the WCVB news helicopter, Sky5, showed a white SUV overturned in front of the motel, surrounded by scattered debris. A telephone pole lying on the ground nearby showed just how forceful the impact had been.
One witness said she watched the vehicle knock down the pole before it became airborne and struck the motel. She described the moment the car hit the building and bounced back down to the pavement.
Employees at the Budget Inn also felt the impact from inside. One worker said the crash felt like an earthquake, prompting her to run outside, where she saw the wrecked car resting near the building.
The force of the crash was strong enough to cause a power outage in the area. Eversource confirmed that a small number of customers, including the motel itself, temporarily lost electricity because of the damage to nearby utility equipment.
This is not the first time a vehicle has crashed into the same motel property. In 2021, surveillance video captured an RV plowing through the parking lot and slamming into the motel’s front office. The driver in that incident survived and was later charged with operating under the influence.
Investigators have not yet released details on what caused Monday’s crash or whether speed, mechanical failure, or another factor played a role. The case remains under investigation, and no further information about the driver’s identity or the circumstances leading up to the collision has been made public.
Separate Fatal Crash Reported in Arizona
In an unrelated incident, the same day, a fatal collision closed a major intersection in Mesa, Arizona. According to the Mesa Fire Department, a pickup truck and an industrial vehicle collided head-on near Broadway Road and Nina Drive shortly before noon.
One adult was pronounced dead at the scene, while a second person was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Broadway Road was shut down in both directions between Extension Road and Westwood Avenue while police investigated.
Local officials urged drivers to seek alternate routes and continued to monitor the area for updates throughout the day.
Both crashes remain under active investigation, and authorities in Massachusetts and Arizona have not indicated when further details will be released to the public.
