A Haverhill man was killed Wednesday morning when he was struck by a commuter bus apparently as he crossed its path while running to meet it.
The, as yet unidentified, man was struck around 8:35 a.m., near the entrance of the Haverhill campus of Northern Essex Community College, by an inbound Merrimack Valley Transit bus traveling between Salisbury and Haverhill. MeVa Transit Administrator and CEO Noah S. Berger told WHAV the man was a regular bus rider known to the driver and passenger.
“This is why situations like this are so heartbreaking because, obviously, our hearts go out to the family of the gentleman. Nothing we can do can bring him back. For our operators, that’s always the biggest nightmare. That’s the thing that everyone is terrified of. It’s a devastating thing and awful for the other riders of the bus. Here at MeVa, we are all devastated,” Berger said.
Sharyn Lubas, chief of staff Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker, confirmed the accident took place near the regular bus stop. “The pedestrian was transported to Holy Family Hospital, where he was declared deceased,” she said.
There was an unconfirmed report the man was a resident of a nearby nursing home.
Massachusetts Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt said in a statement, “Our hearts break for the friends and family of the individual who was struck and killed today. There is a Massachusetts State Police investigation into how this happened, and it’s my promise to the community that the investigation will be thorough and the results transparent. Again, we are heartbroken that a life has been lost.”
Lubas said an investigation is underway by Haverhill and State Police and such State Police special units as Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section and Crime Scene Services Section.