The crash remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.
By Abby Patkin
1 minute to read
One person was killed and another injured Wednesday in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 290 in Northborough, authorities said.
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Multiple 911 calls flooded in shortly before 9 p.m. reporting a serious crash ahead of Exit 27 on I-290 eastbound, the Northborough Fire Department said in a news release. Initial reports indicated there had been a head-on collision involving a wrong-way driver, with at least one of the vehicles catching on fire.
Firefighters arrived at the scene to find a Subaru and a Jeep severely damaged and fully engulfed in flames, the fire department said. The Jeep driver was able to escape on their own and was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the release. Firefighters said there was no one else inside the Jeep.
However, “despite the valiant efforts of police officers and firefighters, the driver and sole occupant of the second vehicle could not be rescued,” the fire department said. The driver of the Subaru, the vehicle heading in the wrong direction, was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the news release, it took firefighters about 30 minutes and 2,000 gallons of water to extinguish the flames. Crews then spent nearly an hour using hydraulic rescue tools to pull the driver from their car. The individual, who has not been publicly identified, was subsequently brought to the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The crash remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police and the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, officials said.
The Northborough incident is the latest in a string of wrong-way crashes across Massachusetts.
Gov. Maura Healey announced a new statewide initiative earlier this month aimed at cracking down on wrong-way driving through the use of wrong-way detection technology and updated signage at more than 500 “high-risk” locations. The announcement came shortly after State Police Trooper Kevin Trainor was killed in a wrong-way crash on Route 1 in Lynnfield and another trooper was hospitalized following a wrong-way crash on Route 1 in Peabody.
Stunning images of tonight’s wrong way driver crash on 290 eastbound in Northboro…2 cars up in flames…MassDOT urging drivers to avoid the area…the crash comes days after Gov Healey unveiled plans to curb the uptick in wrong way crashes on Massachusetts roadways #7News pic.twitter.com/uHQSWtI7Zv
— Steve Cooper (@scooperon7) June 25, 2026
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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