Nov. 20--A Lexington man taking a predawn ride on Storrow Drive is lucky to be alive after state police said his Lexus barrelled into a guardrail on the Massachusetts Avenue exit, went airborne, rolled over and came to rest on its roof on the bridge.
Pieces of the luxury sedan and the guardrail littered Storrow Drive and the Mass. Ave. bridge early yesterday as Boston firefighters and EMS extricated the driver, identified by police as 31-year-old Saro Getzoyan, from the wreckage. He was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with minor injuries.
"It was pretty insane," said photographer Kevin Wiles Jr., who witnessed and photographed the rescue effort. He said he didn't think anyone could make it out of such a wreck with just bumps, cuts and scrapes.
"Just the amount of damage to the car ... I couldn't even tell what kind of car it was. It was a mangled mess," he said.
State police said the crash happened about 3:30 a.m. when Getzoyan, driving west on Storrow Drive, attempted to take the Mass. Ave. exit. His car veered to the left on the elevated exit, soared over the Storrow Drive underpass, crashed through the Mass. Ave. guardrail, and landed in the middle of the road, police said.
"Speed is a main factor in the crash," state police Sgt. Michael Popovics said. "Due to the speed, he could not negotiate the exit. He went airborne, struck the guardrail on the Mass. Ave. bridge, landed on the bridge and rolled over."
Getzoyan has not been cited, and the crash remains under investigation. His family declined to let a Herald reporter speak with him at the hospital yesterday.
"We don't think he would have any comments," a family member said. "He's doing fine, thank you."
Copyright 2011 - Boston Herald
