Man dies after fire accident in which vehicle falls 12 meters from a ramp

A Massachusetts man has died after a serious crash in which a vehicle struck a guardrail in South Boston and plunged about 40 feet to the roadway below. Casey Brown, 31, of Plymouth was identified Wednesday as the victim of the Tuesday morning crash on the Massachusetts Avenue Connector’s ramp to Frontage Road. Several ramps in the Southeast Expressway area were closed and heavy traffic was congested for hours after the crash, which occurred around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday. MBTA and Amtrack service were temporarily suspended as a result of the crash. Boston Fire Chief Paul Burke confirmed that the vehicle struck the Massachusetts Avenue Connector’s guardrail at the intersection with Frontage Road and plunged an estimated 40 feet. Massachusetts State Police officials said the vehicle, a 2004 Dodge Durango, plunged onto Exit 16 on Interstate 93. “It was engulfed in flames when it landed down on the ramp here, and the person inside did not survive,” Burke said. The chief medical examiner’s office was seen in the area during the investigation. Emergency crews hid the wreckage in tents as they worked. “It’s a tragic scene. We were lucky there wasn’t a car underneath it when it came off the overpass,” Burke said. Damage was visible on the barrier at the intersection, which is near Interstate 93 and the Greater Boston Food Bank. The fence was pushed outward. Witnesses estimated the vehicle was traveling about 75 mph before impact. “I heard a loud ‘kaboom’ and the vehicle flew over the side and landed on the ground,” one witness said. “It was on fire as it came across, then landed in flames as it went over the ramp,” Burke said. In a video taken by Alison Rheaume as she drove past the area, the wreckage can be seen as a Boston EMS ambulance remains behind. Several firefighters can be seen near the fire. A makeshift fence has been erected around the perimeter. The accident is being investigated by several Massachusetts State Police units and members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.