Jun 19, 2008 11:06 pm US/Eastern
1 Dead, Kids Hurt In Fiery Brookline Crash
BROOKLINE (WBZ) ―
An elderly man is dead and eight others were injured, including several children, in a major accident in Brookline Thursday during rush hour.
The multiple-car crash happened in front of the Gap store on Harvard Street.
Firefighters worked to put out a fire in a car that burst into flames.
Police said the 79-year-old driver of a van was killed after he smashed his car into another vehicle, setting off a string of other crashes. The initial collision forced the vehicles to crash into three other nearby cars. Five cars total were involved.
Several of the injured were children, though all had been released from area hospitals Thursday night except a baby, who was kept overnight as a precaution.
A witness, Judy Rothschild, said she saw the elderly man's van speed by her just before the crash.
Rothschild said a number of people rushed out of nearby stores to help the injured, including a 52-year-old woman who was briefly trapped in a burning vehicle. She suffered critical injuries in the crash, but doctors say she is expected to survive.
It's unknown what caused the van to lose control and crash into the other vehicles.
Debris could be seen strewn over the streets. The area was closed to traffic following the crash.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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