SUV Crash at Framingham Auto Auction Injures 11
On Friday, October 9, eleven people were reportedly injured in Framingham, MA, when a BMW SUV crashed into an automotive auction building. According to The Boston Globe and other news outlets, the accident occurred around 10 a.m. when a 78-year-old “contract driver” lost control of the SUV he was driving. The SUV ran through a crowd and crashed into an interior wall, also damaging several parked vehicles.
Hundreds were in attendance at ADESA for the auction, and while none of the injuries were considered life-threatening, one person was air-lifted to a local hospital after being injured when the SUV crashed into the cinder-block wall. Ten more victims suffered minor injuries and were transported to MetroWest Medical Center. The driver of the SUV did not sustain any injuries.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene in which the SUV suddenly accelerated through the crowd before hitting the wall, partially trapping one victim underneath the vehicle. That man was saved when a tow truck driver in attendance quickly used his truck to pull the BMW off of the injured man.
The Globe report indicates that ADESA hires contract drivers for auctions such as the one that took place Friday morning, and that the company hosts weekly sales at 66 locations across North America. Police are continuing to investigate the incident. No charges have been filed at this time.
This is the second incident at the ADESA auction house in Framingham this year. In May, an 82-year-old working for ADESA suffered a serious injury when an 81-year-old driver, also working for the auction house, knocked him over. ADESA is a member of the National Auto Auction Association, which introduced a new safety awareness program earlier this year.
Unfortunately, accidents at auto auctions are not altogether rare. In April of 2008, a 54-year-old man was killed at an ADESA auction in Newstead, NY when a driver working for the auction struck him with a vehicle. In February of 2010, twenty-seven people were injured when a driver lost control of his vehicle at the Blue Ridge Auto Auction in Ellijay, GA. In April of 2013, four people were injured when two cars collided at an auto auction house operated by Manheim Auto Auction in Matteson, Illinois.
