Mass. Deputy Dies in Motorcycle Crash

A sheriff's deputy seriously injured this morning when his department-issued motorcycle struck two cars on Interstate 95 died shortly after the crash, the Norfolk County Sheriff's Department said.

Ryan Tvelia, 42, an 11-year veteran who served as a corrections officer and deputy, was pronounced dead at Norwood Hospital following the 7:40 a.m., accident in Walpole, said David Weber, spokesman for the sheriff's department.

Tvelia leaves a wife and three children, a 19-year-old daughter and two sons, 18 and 15, Weber said.

"People here are quite grief-stricken," Weber said. "We have grief counselors in here to help people, and we are doing everything we can to make sure people are taken care of. He was a highly respected and highly regarded officer here. This is a very close-knit department."

Nearly a dozen state police cruisers were on scene at Exit 11 on the northbound side of I-95, where police said Tvelia suffered "extremely serious" injuries when he was involved in a crash with one vehicle, then was struck by another.

Tvelia, who served as motorcycle detail when needed, was en route to a Quincy funeral home, where he was slated to serve as honor guard at the funeral of another officer's mother, Weber said.

His motorcycle was visible on the side of the road around 9 a.m. this morning, a blue police light attached to its rear still blinking. The State police crash reconstruction team and the Norfolk County State Police Detective Unit were also on scene.

Copyright 2012 - Boston Herald

McClachy-Tribune News Service