By Paul Tuthill
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-998935.mp3
Springfield, MA – The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts Timothy Murray says he will NOT contest a 555 dollar ticket from state police for a car crash last year. It now appears Murray was driving while drowsy, a condition that appears to afflict drivers with alarming frequency . WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.
State Police say an analysis of the data from the black box in the Lieutenant Governor's state owned Crown Victoria shows Murray may have fallen asleep at the wheel moments before the pre dawn crash on an interstate highway on November 2nd. The speeding car went off the highway, struck a rock ledge and rolled over several times.
The car was totaled, but Murray walked away with just cuts and bruises. The crash was initially blamed on black ice, but Murray says based on the new police report he now believes the accident happened because he fell asleep at the wheel.
The state police report, released Tuesday, said Murray's car was traveling about 75 miles an hour, and then suddently accelerated, reaching a top speed of 108 miles an hour just before the crash. There was no sudden braking or corrective steering, and Murray was not wearing a seat belt, which also contracts his initial statements about the accident.
Murray said he was not texting or talking on a cell phone. At the scene of the crash , he requested and passed a field sobriety test.
State police said the cause of the crash can not be concluded with 100 percent certainty. John Lee, a professor of engineering at the University of Wisconsin has conducted simulator studies on drowsy driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 100 thousand crashes a year are caused by fatigue or sleepiness. Surveys have found an alarming number of people..sixty percent in one poll said they had driven while sleepy.
Lee said the typical accident for a drowsy driver is one in which the vehicle runs off the road, and those are among the most deadly crashes. Also the hours between 2 AM and 6AM are when people are most at risk for dozing off behind the wheel.
Lt Governor Murray said he was awakened by one of his young daughters and could not get back to sleep. So, he drove off just before 5AM to buy coffee and newspapers and collect his thoughts for the day ahead. The crash happened just before 5:30.
Murray walked away from the crash with little or no physical harm , but political damage is another matter. Tim Buckley, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Republican Party says the public is still left wondering what the full story is.
State police issued a Murray a citation for speeding, a marked lanes violation and for not wearing a seat belt. Total fine $555. Murray says he will pay, and reimburse the state for the car.