Fifth Person Dies in Billerica Auto Auction Crash

A fifth person has died from injuries he sustained in a crash at a Billerica, Massachusetts auto auction earlier this month.

Cause of Fatal Lynnway Auto Auction Crash Remains Under Investigation

According Reuters, 55-year-old Ruben Espaillat died Saturday, 10 days after being struck by a vehicle at the Lynnway Auto Auction.

Officials are still working to determine what caused a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by an auction employee to suddenly accelerate and crash through a concrete wall into an auction warehouse; however, a preliminary investigation did indicate the crash was accidental.

The four other victims of the crash have been identified as Leezandra Aponte, 36; Elliott Rowlands Jr., 50; Brenda Lopez, 48; and Pantaleon Santos, 49.

National Car Crash Accident Statistics

The following information was provided by the National Highway traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• 35,092 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2015. This marks a 7.2-percent increase from the 32,744 deaths reported in 2014.
• Of those killed in auto accidents in 2015:
  • 22,441 were occupants of passenger vehicles
  • 5,376 were pedestrians
  • 4,976 were motorcyclists(operators and passengers)
  • 818 were pedalcyclists
  • 667 were occupants of large trucks
  • 227 were listed as other or as unknown
• An additional 2,443,000 people were injured in auto accidents in 2015.