Two injured in Pepperell crash
PEPPERELL, Mass. – A mother and her young son escaped serious injury after their car left the road and struck a tree near the New Hampshire border in Hollis Monday night.
The one-car accident took place on Hollis Street (Route 122) by the Kimball Fruit Farm in Pepperell around 5:30 p.m.
The accident occurred when Annaliza Bethel, 34, of Pepperell lost control of her southbound car, crossed the other lane and struck a tree, said EMS Capt. Jim Casserly of the Pepperell Fire Department.
Rescue crews from Townsend and Pepperell _worked for more than 30 minutes to free Bethel from her car, Casserly said at the scene.
Workers cut off the top of the Toyota Camry station wagon to gain access to Bethel, who was still conscious when taken from the vehicle, Casserly said.
An ambulance transported her to a Life Flight helicopter waiting down the road in a field by the Varnum Brook Middle School at 1 Hollis St. in Pepperell, Casserly said.
She was then transported to University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, where hospital officials said they expected to treat and release her that night.
Bethel’s 7-year-old son was taken by Hollis ambulance to St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, said Officer Rick Smith of the Pepperell Police Department.
The boy was transported to the hospital shortly after rescue crews arrived on the scene, Casserly said.
According to another police spokesperson, the boy was taken to the hospital more as a precautionary measure than anything else.
The accident is still under investigation, but speed and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash, Smith said.
A portion of the road was closed and cars detoured around the area until about 7 p.m.
A Pepperell resident who lives near the crash site expressed surprise that the accident occurred where it did. The road curves slightly there, but a much sharper curve exists farther down the street. Several markers memorialize those who have died there, he said.
The resident said the dark, windy road sees its share of accidents, mostly during winter, when the pavement ices over and snow blows hard across the open fields in the area.
