What can be done to stop wrong-way crashes in Massachusetts? Retired state trooper calls for more technology.
The death of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Kevin Trainor in a wrong-way crash has renewed calls for expanded technology to prevent more tragedies on state highways.
Early Wednesday morning, Trainor was killed while trying to stop a wrong-way driver on Route 1 in Lynnfield.
It is not known where the wrong-way driver entered Route 1. Police said 50-year-old Hernan Marrero of Roslindale was going south in the northbound lanes when he crashed into Trooper Trainor's unmarked cruiser head-on.
"These are split-second decisions, life-or-death decisions, that police officers have to make all the time," retired Massachusetts State trooper Todd McGhee said.
How technology can help
McGhee said that when officers respond to wrong-way driver reports, their vehicles are often the only tool available to stop a vehicle heading into oncoming traffic.
He said that agencies should analyze crash data to identify high-risk locations.
"The next step is to leverage technology," McGhee said. "What are the layers of technology that we can implement to, one, alert the driver; two, alert the law enforcement agency of jurisdiction? And then is there some type of physical security device that can slow down or stop that vehicle?"
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has already begun implementing some of those solutions. The agency partnered with TAPCO to install 16 wrong-way driver detection systems across the state. The systems include flashing LED warning signs and enhanced camera technology.
The installations, which were finalized in 2023, include locations along I-95 in Burlington, Route 128 in Danvers and Route 3 in Plymouth.
TAPCO's Alex Perry told WBZ the technology also includes thermal detection systems, wrong-way radar alerts, and when all else fails, it notifies police.
"There's a lot of leading factors up to wrong-way driving," Perry said. "That could be drunk drivers, that could be confused or elderly drivers, it could be people operating even with some level of negligence."
While Perry says wrong-way crashes are rare, "they are far and by large one of the most fatal."
Stopping Massachusetts wrong-way drivers
According to a MassDOT report, the agency detected 205 wrong-way drivers between Nov. 2, 2022, and Jan. 1, 2025.
Faith Jorge of Taunton survived a wrong-way crash 15 years ago on the Southeast Expressway in Dorchester that left her seriously injured and trapped in her vehicle. First responders used heavy equipment to free her.
"I looked up and I thought, 'I'm going to die,'" Jorge said. "I really thought I was going to die."
She said the trauma of the crash still lingers more than a decade later.
"It was a very traumatic accident and it still is," Jorge said. "Here I am 15 years later, and I still remember every bing, ding and sound that the car made when we hit."
Jorge said news of Trainor's death brings up difficult memories and emotions. She said that she hopes to see more solutions implemented in the wake of this crash.
