Haverhill Man in ‘Stable’ Condition After Interstate Crash

A Haverhill man is reported in “stable condition” Monday morning at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester after he and a passenger were seriously injured in a three-car crash Thursday in Marlborough.

According to state police, Jason Appleton, 37, of Haverhill, struck a tractor-trailer from behind that had stopped in the left lane of Interstate 290 Eastbound as traffic had slowed to a stop approaching Interstate 495. Appleton’s 1998 Subaru Forester was then struck by a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by Thomas Breault, 57, of Charlton.

Besides Appleton, a passenger in his car, 34-year-old Paula Sweet of Worcester, sustained serious injuries. They were transported by medical helicopter to UMass Worcester – medical campus. Breault was transported by Marlborough EMS to Marlborough Hospital with minor injuries. Craig Thorne, 49, of Old Town, Maine, was the driver of the 2013 Volvo tractor-trailer. He was not injured.

The accident took place at 9:52 a.m. Information collected by Trooper Matthew DePari said the two left lanes on I-290 Eastbound were closed. At approximately 10:25 a.m., all lanes of I-290 Eastbound were closed for the first medical helicopter to land.

The crash remains under investigation with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section (CARS), the State Police Crime Scene Services Section (CSSS) and the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section (CVES). No charges have been filed at this time. Also assisting on scene were the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (Mass DOT), Marlborough Police & Fire, and Northborough Police.