Mass. Trooper Dies After Head‑On Collision With Wrong‑Way Driver

By Irene Rotondo

Source masslive.com

The identity of a Massachusetts State Police trooper killed by a wrong-way driver in Lynnfield on Wednesday morning has been released.

Trooper Kevin Trainor, 30, was named by Colonel Geoffrey Noble during a press conference at the State Police Danvers Barracks on Wednesday morning.

Noble was joined by Governor Maura Healey, Public Safety and Security Secretary Gina Kwon, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker and State Police Association of Massachusetts President Brian Williams.

The crash that killed Trainor happened on Route 1 in Lynnfield at about 2 a.m., according to state police. A driver was traveling south in the northbound lanes and struck a State Police cruiser, according to a department spokesperson.

The driver of the wrong-way vehicle was also pronounced dead at the scene.

“In the blink of an eye, those reckless actions stole Kevin,” from his mother, fiancé and siblings, Noble said.

“We know there are difficult days that lie ahead for his family” and Massachusetts State Police colleagues, he said, adding that “nothing will ever repair the pain that we feel today.”

Trainor was a trooper for the past three years, Noble said. Previously, he was a corrections officer in Essex County, and during his three years with State Police, he was a field training officer, or “trooper coach,” and was on Troop A Community Action Team.

He had a “genuine care and concern for others” and “was the guy you wanted for his backup,” Noble said his classmates stated.

Trainor “saved lives this morning,” Noble said, and “put his life on the line ... to prevent an even greater tragedy.” He will “be remembered as a hero.”

What happened?

A dispatcher had first reported the wrong-way driver just before 2 a.m., radioing that the driver was near the Lynnfield Tunnel on Route 1 and headed toward Saugus. Then, in a more panicked tone, the crash was reported by an officer, according to dispatch transmissions.

“Code 16. Code 16. Head on. It’s going to be Route 1 Northbound just prior to the tunnel,” the officer said. Moments later, they reported the trooper was unconscious, identifying him by his cruiser number.

“It was the wrong way,” the offer said.

“You can tell EMS to step it up and send fire. The door is jammed. We can’t get the trooper out of the cruiser,” they radioed. The other driver was also unconscious, they reported, urging dispatch to tell EMS to “step it up.”

In the recording, officers can be heard figuring out how to reroute traffic on the highway and scrambling to get an ambulance to the scene. Another voice later says the car is smoking and that “we got to get him in quick.”

Then, after 2:20 a.m., an officer reported the trooper would be transported to Massachusetts General Hospital by an ambulance, as the wait for a helicopter would be too long.

The officer asked to clear the tunnels into Boston for the ambulance and several minutes later, he confirmed that the ambulance was on its way with two cruisers escorting it.

Gov. Maura Healey said she was heartbroken by the trooper’s “tragic death.”

“The trooper was responding to reports of a wrong-way driver and put himself in harm’s way to protect others. This act of service and courage is what our State Police are called to do every day. They show up ready to face danger so the rest of us can be safe. Today, Massachusetts is mourning one of those heroes,” Healey said in a statement.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the Trooper’s family, loved ones, and with fellow members of the State Police during this incredibly difficult time,” Healey said.

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