Bromfield freshman Grant MacLean, 14, was riding his bike home on Littleton Road Sunday afternoon when he was hit by a Jeep Liberty SUV driven by Amelia Mazzola, 17, of Poor Farm Road. Mazzola, a Bromfield senior, was traveling eastbound near the intersection of Littleton and Whitney roads when she inadvertently struck MacLean as he was riding his bicycle in the right-hand lane. MacLean was taken to UMass Medical Center by Life Flight helicopter for a serious injury to one leg. According to his father, Douglas, he is now in stable condition and doing well, although doctors are not certain when he will leave the hospital, or return to school. The MacLean family is thankful for all the community support they’ve received, MacLean said.
Harvard public safety team carries injured teen bicyclist to Life Flight on Sunday. (Courtesy photo by Peter Warren)
Interviewed Monday morning, Harvard Police Chief Edward Denmark said he does not anticipate issuing any driver citations for the accident. Preliminary investigations by both Harvard police and the Massachusetts State Police reconstruction team indicate that there was no driver error. Further, he said, “The evasive action taken by the driver kept the boy from being even more badly hurt.” Although a reconstruction of the accident scene is still in progress, there was no suggestion of speeding, operating under the influence, or cell phone use by Mazzola at the time of the accident, according to Denmark.
While the Mazzola family declined to comment at press time, Stephen Sheldon, the attorney for the family, confirmed that he understood from the police chief that the accident was not the result of any negligent operation on the part of the driver. But what is most important about the whole incident, he said, is the fact that MacLean is expected to make a full recovery.
Oak Hill Road resident Mary Jarvis, a friend of both the Mazzola and MacLean families, contacted the Press to express her concerns about the safety of the intersection of Whitney and Littleton roads. When traveling eastbound on Littleton Road, the speed limit increases to 45 miles per hour just as a downhill slope and a slight curve in the road reduce the sight distance. Jarvis contended that both youngsters were placed in jeopardy by these factors, and said it could be helpful to have some sort of warning sign to indicate that caution is needed near that intersection.
Debi Nygren, a Littleton Road resident and owner of the Cheshire Barn school, lives near the scene of the accident. On Tuesday afternoon, Nygren said that she has contacted the police department for years about incidents that have occurred near that intersection. Those incidents include cars hitting and killing two of her dogs, a parked car sideswiped by a passing car near her home, and cars traveling at speeds in excess of 45 miles per hour. In the past, she said, she has cut down trees and bushes on Littleton Road to help with sight lines, and put up a mirror across the street from her house to alert drivers to oncoming traffic. While she would like the highway department to install a four-way stop at the intersection, she said that Director of Public Works Rich Nota has said that the problem needs to be studied first.
In response to questions about Jarvis’s and Nygren’s concerns, Denmark said he does not believe that the logistics of the intersection were a significant factor in the accident. While the investigation is considering that factor, he said, this particular accident was largely the result of human error. If the bicyclist had been further over to the shoulder, he pointed out, the accident would not have happened. The overall accident rate in Harvard is very low, he said, and does not point to any problems with any particular intersection. However, it is something that he is taking very seriously, and he and Selectman Tim Clark will meet this week to discuss the need for more public education about safety on town roads.
At Bromfield, Principal Jim O’Shea and Associate Vice Principal Scott Hoffman held an assembly for the freshman class Monday morning to clarify the facts surrounding the accident, as well as offer the students a chance to support their classmate. “In such a close-knit community it impacts everybody,” O’Shea said. “It’s important for us to be there to support Grant and his family and all the others affected by the accident, and help everyone get back to normal as soon as possible.”
