WEST NEWBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - A driver was flown to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after he allegedly fled a traffic stop in a car missing one tire and ended up crashing into a tree in West Newbury early Wednesday morning.
An officer parked in a marked cruiser near the Public Safety Building on Main Street just after 12:30 a.m. saw a Cadillac sedan traveling toward Groveland with one headlight out and one of the front tires missing, according to West Newbury police.
The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the driver, later identified as a 38-year-old Peabody man, allegedly refused to stop and accelerated away.
That officer continued to follow the car while a second officer in the area of Knapp’s Greenhouses about 1.2 miles away saw the Cadillac driving at a high rate of speed with sparks coming from its undercarriage, police said.
The car’s left, front rim then fell off shortly before leaving the roadway on the right shoulder, struck a fence, and returned to the street, police added.
The Cadillac reportedly proceeded to cross the double yellow line, leave the roadway on the left side and strike a tree.
The driver and sole occupant of the car, whose name has not been released, suffered serious, life-threatening injuries from the crash.
He was transported to a landing zone in Groveland before being flown to a Boston hospital.
The driver was allegedly operating with a suspended registration.
The incident remains under investigation.
This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)