Crash & Burn - Good News - Bad News

WEST BARNSTABLE - At about 12:15 PM on Tuesday afternoon, a 22 year old driver of a 1995 Plymouth Caravan was traveling west on Route 6 when he apparently made a sudden decision to take the Exit 6 Off ramp near the Service Area and Burger King.

The driver then apparently decided that he was going too fast, because there were two dark skid marks on the pavement at the first turn on the off ramp ramp where he went straight instead of making the turn with the ramp roadway. He jumped the curb and flew off the ramp down an embankment and into the woods where his vehicle was abruptly stopped by a tree. That was the bad news. This was also the first in a series of good news and bad news events that this young driver would experience in the following half hour. The first bad news being that he even had the accident

The bad news was that his vehicle started to burn and that ignited the woods on fire too. The grass and trees around the vehicle were now on fire and the vehicle would become completely involved in flames.

The good news was that he was not seriously hurt and that State Trooper Michael Casamassima who was traveling a short distance behind when the accident happened, saw the dust fly as the Caravan crashed some distance ahead of his cruiser. Luckily  for the victim, the Trooper was there to help and he also called for assistance from other Troopers to handle traffic and summoned the Barnstable Fire Department. 

Fire Rescue responded and and after several minutes managed to extinguish the stubborn flames with foam.

The next bad news for the driver was that Trooper Casamassima would be the investigating officer, and he had an impeccable witness ... himself.

In the course of conducting his investigation of the accident the victim's troubles continued to pile up. It turned out that the vehicle he was driving was unregistered and uninsured. Massachusetts State Police continue to investigate the accident.