A Ford SUV sits on its side after Thursday’s accident on Wood Street.
A teenager from Westborough rolled over his Ford Explorer Sport SUV on Wood Street on Thursday afternoon but was able to exit the vehicle on his own and was not seriously injured, according to witnesses at the scene.
The accident happened just after 3:30 p.m. near the Department of Public Works headquarters at 83 Wood Street. The vehicle knocked over two mailboxes and damaged a guardrail, reported Wood Street resident Pam Campagna, who pulled out of her driveway right after the accident occurred in front of her home.
“He missed my light post but took out the guardrail, pulling it with him,” Campagna said, noting that the driver likely would have hit trees and/or a telephone pole had the guardrail not been there.
“The police kept saying that guardrail saved his life,” Campagna added. “They said that multiple times.”
The driver was heading east on Wood Street, an area Campagna said has its share of issues, with vehicles frequently speeding and drivers pulling out from Proctor Street (which connects to Saddle Hill Road) straining to see vehicles approaching from the west, where the road curves. She also noted there are no sidewalks west of the DPW building, a situation she termed “despicable.”
After seeing the SUV on its side, Campagna called 911 and then directed traffic around the accident until police and fire personnel arrived (they also were dealing with an incident at Grove Street in which a van struck two houses). She said the driver was able to climb out of the vehicle and, while in obvious shock, was talking and did not show any outward signs of serious injury. He identified himself as a 17-year-old Westborough High School student. He eventually received treatment from first responders at the scene until his parents arrived, Campagna added.
Through a public relations spokesman, the Hopkinton Police Department confirmed that the driver was not seriously injured.
The accident caused damage to a guardrail that likely prevented a serious injury.
Auto accidents were afraid to happen when “Jerry” Bowker was chief!