Mother and 9-Year-old Son Die in Massachusetts Motor Vehicle Accident While Trick-or-Treating

In Westfield, a mother and her nine-year-old son died on Halloween Night when they were struck by a car while trick-or-treating. Roberta A. Salois, 47, and Steven X. Smith-Salois were crossing the street when the deadly Massachusetts motor vehicle crash happened on South Maple Street, which is also called Route 202.

Steven was wearing a Batman costume that night. After the accident, he was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where he was pronounced dead. Roberta was pronounced dead at Noble Hospital.

The driver of the 2005 Toyota that struck Roberta and Steven is 25-year-old Westfield resident Anne R. Schlichtig. She was not injured in the traffic accident, and no charges have been filed against her. Westfield police, however, are continuing to investigate the deadly crash.

According to witnesses that saw the accident scene, the street was littered with candy and Steven’s shoes, which had come off during the pedestrian accident. One neighbor says that traffic was moving rapidly on South Maple Street that Friday night.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Out of the 4,654 pedestrian deaths last year, 306 of these fatalities were children, age 14 and under.
• 187 of these kids were boys.
• 18% of the kids belonging to this age range that died in traffic deaths were pedestrians.
• 14,000 of the 70,000 pedestrians that sustained injuries last year were age 14 or younger.
• 8,000 of the kids in this age range who got hurt were boys.
• 80% of children pedestrian deaths occurred at non-intersections.

Driver Kills Mother, Son, Out for Halloween, Boston.com, November 2, 2008
Family, friends in grief after Halloween tragedy, Boston.com, November 2, 2008

Related Web Resources:

2007 Traffic Safety Facts: Children, NHTSA
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

Contact our Boston personal injury lawyers at Altman & Altman LLP to discuss your Massachusetts pedestrian accident case. Our pedestrian attorneys know how to properly investigate your injuries and the accident scene. If we agree to work together, we will work with the best experts and zealously pursue your Massachusetts personal injury or wrongful death claim.

Contact Information