Warren, MA : 22-year-old Meaghan Noel killed and one seriously injured in a crash involving a car and tractor-trailer on Interstate 90 at the Warren/Brimfield town line on Monday, March 9, 2015

A 22-year-old Taunton woman was killed Monday morning when she lost control of her sport utility vehicle, which went over the median and collided with an oncoming tractor-trailer on the Massachusetts Turnpike, state police said.

State police identified the dead woman as Meaghan Noel. They said she was ejected from her 2009 Honda Element, and suffered fatal injuries from the crash.

The accident occurred just before 9 a.m. at the Brimfield line. Traffic was backed up in both directions for hours.

According to police, Ms. Noel was driving east when, for reasons unclear, the vehicle went out of control, crossed the median and went into the westbound lanes. Her vehicle collided with the westbound tractor-trailer driven by Sandra Debonis, 52, of Warren, Rhode Island. Ms. Debonis was trapped in the tractor’s cab and had to be extricated by firefighters, state police said.

Jeffrey Hope of Warren witnessed the crash. He was driving east on the turnpike when he saw an SUV in front of him swerve left.

“It was like somebody jerked the wheel left,” Mr. Hope said. “It jumped the median and went airborne.”

“The driver was trapped in the truck, and she looked pretty bad,” Mr. Hope said. “I didn’t go over to the other vehicle. I knew damn well that person had been killed.”

Ms. Debonis was taken by helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus in Worcester.

The SUV, Mr. Hope said, was split in two, the large pieces landing about 200 feet apart. Debris was scattered across the highway.

Traffic in both directions was blocked while rescue crews worked.

The crash remained under investigation by troopers from the Charlton barracks with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction and the Crime Services section.

Source :
Taunton woman dies in Mass Pike crash