GRAFTON, Mass. - The driver of an SUV was forced to use her OnStar system to call for help after her vehicle flipped on Waterville Street Wednesday morning.
Grafton Fire Chief Mickey Gauthier said the woman was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester after the crash, which occurred just before 10 a.m. Her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
"I heard OnStar talking to dispatch on the radio over here and (the driver) was talking with them when I got here," Gauthier said. "Apparently, OnStar works. It's the first time I've ever seen it except for on TV commercials."
The woman was driving a 2012 GMC Terrain, which flipped off the road into a gully. All air bags in the vehicle were deployed.
The cause of the accident is under investigation by Grafton Police.
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Car Flips On Waterville Street In Grafton
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Lovey's Towing of Shrewsbury prepares to tow a GMC Terrain involved in a Waterville Street accident.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Lord Paluzzi
Lovey's Towing of Shrewsbury prepares to tow a GMC Terrain involved in a Waterville Street accident.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Lord Paluzzi
Comments (4)
Sorry I haven't been back to discuss this further.
For the record, the OED definition of 'accident' is: "An unfortunate event, a disaster, a mishap".
The definition of 'crash' is: "The act, or an instance, of crashing" (and the definition of the verb 'to crash' is: "to suffer damage in an accident").
The OED definition of 'collision' is: "The action of colliding or forcibly striking or dashing together; violent encounter of a moving body with another".
Driver's Education classes across the state have gotten away from using the word "accident." They're actually teaching kids to use the right words, and why. I did a quick google search, and found a few pieces of information to support my position.
http://www.alabamaduiprosecution.com/resources/The-Crash-Course/Word_Choice_Matters.pdf
http://www.roadpeace.org/resources/Crash_not_Accident_May_11_2011.pdf
Even our own STATE has changed the "report form" from an "accident report" to a "crash report."
http://www.mass.gov/rmv/forms/21278.pdf
Net-net, *to me* the word "accident" is indicative of something truly accidental, and un-avoidable. An act of God, if you will.
The word 'crash' is a more-accurate description of most events involving a motor vehicle striking something else. They are almost always avoidable by the driver taking more care in how he or she operates the vehicle.
I encourage the Daily Grafton to attempt to use the correct terminology, whenever possible.
(Sorry - this should have been posted in response to the comments from "Girl next door.")
having grown up on Waterville Street and knowing how traffic flies down that road< i am sure she was well over the posted 35MPH Speed Limit in that area and most likely distracted from something inside the vehicle... that exact area of Waterville Street is seldom known for accidents...
"Accident?" Nope. Accidents are acts of God. A rock falling off a cliff and landing on your car, causing you to lose control, is an 'accident.' Accidents are truly rare.
This was a CRASH, which had a cause, which was likely the driver being distracted by a cellphone or something else. Crashes are always the result of a driver's action (or inaction).
"Waterville Road" is just one short section of Route 30. There's nothing on that road which would cause an "accident." It's a relatively straight road, and the weather was clear and dry.
If the driver had a blown tire or something, then I retract my statement, but otherwise, it's almost never correct to call crashes such as this an "accident."
According to the article, the cause of the accident is under investigation by Grafton Police. Readers of the article have no idea of the exact circumstances. I am more concerned with the injured victim, their health and the effect it might have on their loved ones. At the same time, it is nice that there are things you feel strongly about too.
ac-ci-dent
noun
1.
an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss; casualty; mishap: automobile accidents.
MVA - motor vehicle accident
The unintended collision of one motor vehicle with another, a stationary object, or person, resulting in injuries, death and/or loss of property. Motor vehicle accidents are also known as road traffic accidents.
Seems as if dictionaries, law enforcement, insurance companies as well as the general public consider crashing a vehicle an accident in most cases.