BOSTON, MA — A newly released report says the driver who went the wrong way on Route 1 had consumed 10 alcoholic drinks before the May 6 crash that killed Massachusetts State Police Trooper Kevin Trainor. Investigators said the driver misjudged a jughandle in Peabody, then traveled southbound in a northbound lane until the head-on collision near the Saugus Lynnfield line.
What did investigators say happened before the crash?
According to the Essex County District Attorney’s office, Hernan Marrero, 50, of Roslindale, drank one beverage at a restaurant in Waltham and then nine more at Tribu Mexican Kitchen and Bar on Route 1 in Saugus. The report says he was at the Saugus restaurant from 9:20 p.m. to 12:53 a.m. before leaving the parking lot and heading north on Route 1.
About 2.3 miles later, investigators say Marrero entered the Route 1 jughandle in Peabody, a turnaround designed to send traffic back southbound. The report says he ignored posted signs, clipped a guardrail, ran a red light and turned too sharply before re-entering the northbound lane while traveling the wrong direction.
How did authorities trace the wrong-way Jeep?
MassDOT traffic camera footage captured the Jeep moving through the jughandle and then southbound in the northbound lane. The vehicle continued for about 1.8 miles until it passed a northbound EZ Disposal truck on the Salem Street overpass at 2:02:39 a.m., a moment recorded by the truck’s dashcam.
The truck driver called 911, and a trooper also spotted the Jeep and relayed the warning to the Massachusetts State Police Danvers barracks and nearby cruisers. Officials said the desk officer was already receiving emergency calls about the same wrong-way driver.
Who was Trooper Kevin Trainor and what happened to him?
Trainor, 30, had just finished an assigned public safety detail on the Lynnway near the General Edwards Bridge and clocked out at 1:52 a.m. He was driving home when his cruiser, with the radio tuned to the channel carrying the wrong-way alerts, became the first police vehicle to encounter the Jeep.
The crash happened just after 2 a.m. Trainor was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he was later pronounced dead. Marrero died in the collision as well.
What do the toxicology results and official findings show?
The report says toxicological testing found Marrero’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.192, more than twice the legal limit. Officials also said his blood contained Bupropion, known as Wellbutrin, and Hydroxybupropion, a metabolite of that drug.
The report concluded that Trainor showed “exemplary courage and self-sacrifice” and that his actions likely prevented a greater tragedy. In a separate action, the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission notified Tribu of alleged civil violations tied to after-hours alcohol service and free drinks, and a hearing is set for July 28.
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