WESTPORT, ME : Driver of livery van in fatal I-195 crash owned a business in Fall River on Wednesday, 28th September 2016

Archery shop owner John Oliveria took a retirement job two years ago, driving patients to medical appointments. He was very reliable, his boss said, but something went tragically wrong Wednesday while he was driving two people to Fall River.

Police are looking into whether a medical problem caused Oliveria, 68, of Dartmouth, to lose control of the van. Heading westbound shortly after 8 a.m., he careened over the grassy median on Interstate 195 in Westport, hitting a car head-on and causing a multi-vehicle crash that killed three people, including himself.

Police identified the other victims as Josephine Mazzocca, 55, of New Bedford, a passenger in the livery van, and Karonlyne Camile Lima, 23, of New Bedford, a passenger in the BMW hit head-on.

Oliveria and his wife, Janice, founded Trader Jan's Archery Pro-Shop, located in a high-visibility mill next to I-195 in Fall River. The family hosted a pig roast last year to celebrate the store's 25th anniversary.

After the crash, state police called Janice from John's cell phone, looking for next of kin. His picture popped up on her phone, so she thought it was him.

The couple was married 44 years. They met when she was working at the now-closed Brooks Pharmacy in South Dartmouth. He would come into the store sometimes, and they struck up a conversation.

"He was just very pleasant, nice smile, good sense of humor," she said Thursday.

They married at St. Anne Church in the South End of New Bedford. They have a daughter, Jill Oliveria, who lives in Dartmouth and runs Trader Jan's.

John grew up in Dartmouth and graduated from Dartmouth High School, his wife said. Although he was involved in the business in the evenings, he worked in construction all his life and was a former building inspector in Dartmouth and Fairhaven, she said. She said he held an associate's degree in architectural engineering.

John liked to go to wine tastings and do puzzles, she said. The family went camping for many years. John camped in a tent in Bourne in his bachelor days, but when they got married, they bought a tent trailer. From there, they progressed to a travel trailer and then a motor home. They belonged to a camping club, and they camped in Maine and at Normandy Farms in Foxboro.

John belonged to the East End Sportsman's Club in Fall River, and his grandparents on both sides were immigrants from Sao Miguel, Portugal, his wife said. His parents predeceased him.

In a Facebook post a woman identifying herself as Lima's mother, wrote in Portuguese, "Friends and family Karol my daughter had an accident and died," and asked for prayers. There were numerous other messages of condolence for the young woman.

Source :
Driver of livery van in fatal I-195 crash owned a business in Fall River