CANTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Canton Police Chief Helena Rafferty has acknowledged in a new statement that she struck and injured a pedestrian in Wrentham in February in her town-issued vehicle and said given the attention the incident has put on Canton, she should have issued a statement sooner.
In a statement Monday, Rafferty said she was driving on South Street on Feb. 16 when she struck a man while turning on Creek Street. The man, whom she identified as Michael C. Barry, of Wrentham, was provided emergency aid until crews arrived on scene and was taken to a nearby hospital.
“I immediately exited my vehicle to render first aid and called 911. I remained on scene with Mr. Barry until the Wrentham Police and Fire Departments responded,” Rafferty said in a statement. “At that time, I answered questions, and upon my request took a breathalyzer test which read 0.0% blood alcohol content.”
The investigating officer issued a Massachusetts Civil Citation for Chapter 89 Section 11, Marked Crosswalks/Yielding the right of way to pedestrians, which Rafferty paid.
“Upon clearing the scene, I immediately notified Canton officials as to what happened,” she wrote. “This was an unfortunate accident. Upon further reflection and considering the amount of attention that has been focused on Canton, I should have issued a statement sooner.”
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