Notable Mass. State Police crashes

Feb. 13, 2008 ►

Time: 6:47 p.m.

Where: Route 2A, Phillipston

Trooper: Mical O’Brien

Type: Fatal accident

What: Trooper was responding to an accident when he fatally hit Andrew Castonguay (right), a motorist who had fallen onto the road a few minutes earlier while aiding another driver. Police said it was dark and the victim was wearing dark clothing, though his father suspects the trooper could have avoided the collision had he been paying closer attention. The state paid the victim’s family $10,000 to settle a lawsuit.

Jan. 28, 2009

Time: 1:45 a.m.

Trooper: Richard J. Cashin

Where: Route 1 North, Saugus

Type: Fatal solo crash

What: Captain Richard Cashin, 52, was traveling on Route 1 in Saugus. Cashin may have been trying to locate a drunk driver when he struck a utility pole and was fatally injured.

Aug. 11, 2009 ►

Time: 3:20 a.m.

Trooper: Nicholas P. Internicola

Where: Route 1A at Logan Airport, Boston

Type: Work zone accident

What: Trooper was sitting in cruiser on paid detail at a road maintenance site at Logan Airport when the cruiser lunged forward — pinning a worker against another vehicle and partially crushing his legs. The trooper and a police report gave conflicting explanations for the incident. The state settled a lawsuit by the worker for $98,000 last year and found the trooper was at fault.

Jan. 22, 2010 ►

Time: 2:26 p.m.

Trooper: Brian D. Hermes

Where: Route 18 and Pond Street, Weymouth

Type: Pedestrian hit

What: A school bus stopped in front of a jogger at a crosswalk at a busy multilane road in Weymouth. But after running past the school bus, the woman got knocked into the air by a police cruiser traveling in the next lane. The trooper told local police the jogger came out of nowhere. Both the jogger’s and trooper’s view were likely obscured by the bus. The police report said it found “no improper driving” by the trooper. But the woman’s law firm won $225,000 in settlements on behalf of her and three family members in November. (By filing separate legal claims on behalf of the family members, the law firm was able to obtain more than the $100,000 statutory limit.)

Oct. 21, 2011 ►

Time: 4 p.m.

Where: East Brookfield Road, North Brookfield

Trooper: David M. Fleming Jr.

Type: Two-car crash

What: Cruiser, which was traveling as fast as 95 miles per hour in a 45-mile-an hour zone, hit a driver who was making a left turn into his driveway. Police blamed the driver, who was seriously injured in the crash, for failing to yield to the police cruiser. State Police say the trooper activated his emergency equipment, but the other driver contends he did not see any lights or hear any sirens. The other driver is suing.

March 8, 2013

Time: 12:37 p.m.

Trooper: Stephen P. Fortin

Where: Route 140 North, New Bedford

Type: Single-car crash

What: Driving in snowy weather, Trooper Stephen P. Fortin hit a patch of ice, fishtailed, and slid into the cables along the road and then hit a highway sign. One person was injured, presumably the trooper since it was a one-car crash, but the police redacted the injury information.

March 19, 2013

Time: 3:15 a.m.

Trooper: James D. DeAngelis

Where: Route 93 South, Boston

Type: Single-car crash

What: While out on patrol, trooper struck the median during snowy weather. The trooper was blamed for driving too fast given the weather, but the accident report also noted that multiple spinouts were reported during the storm.

April 10, 2013

Time: 9:05 a.m.

Trooper: Daniel S. Moro

Where: Soldiers Field Road West, Boston

Type: Cyclist hit

What: Trooper pulled onto Soldiers Field Road in front of a cyclist, who slammed into the police cruiser and landed on his right shoulder. The trooper said he didn’t see the cyclist because his view was blocked by an open laptop in the front of the vehicle. The police blamed the crash on the trooper’s obstructed view. The cyclist later said his shoulder was dislocated.

Police officers have roughly twice the rate of motor vehicle crashes per million vehicle miles as the general public.

Some large law enforcement agencies around the country reported more than a crash a day.

The Massachusetts State Police found troopers were at least partially at fault in more than one-third of accidents since 2009.

When troopers involved in crashes are disciplined by the Massachusetts State Police, most receive verbal warnings.

Disciplinary measures taken by the Massachusetts State Police

SOURCES: Massachusetts State police ; MassDot; US Department of Transportation; individual departments

Todd Wallack, Patrick Garvin / Globe Staff