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Investigation: MA Lt. Gov. Totaled State Car While Driving 100 MPH, May Have Been Asleep at the Wheel

Mass Lt. Gov Totals State Car While Driving 100MPH

Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray has been both a hero and hazard on the road.

In January 2011, Murray came to the aid of a grandmother and her two young grandchildren in his native Worcester. While driving home he saw a minivan with smoke and flames coming out of the car’s tires. Murray quickly called 9-1-1 and pulled the grandmother and two grandchildren out of the burning vehicle unharmed, telling press he was just in the right place at the right time and anyone else would do the same.

One year later, Murray is facing heat about his conduct on the road.

On Tuesday, a Massachusetts State Police investigation of “black box” data from a November 2 crash of a state-owned car that the Lt. Governor was driving revealed that at the time of the accident, Murray was driving 100 miles per hour, without a seat belt, and had possibly fallen asleep behind the wheel in the moments before totaling the vehicle. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette published a photo of what was left of the state-issued Ford Crown Victoria the day of the crash:

Mass Lt. Gov Totals State Car While Driving 100MPH

The car had rolled over after accelerating without breaking or turning, crashing into a rock ledge off Interstate 190 in Sterling, Ma. Miraculously, Murray walked away physically unscathed from the early morning crash.

“I understand that the vehicle accelerated rapidly without braking or turning in the seconds before the accident. The State Police have said that this is consistent with what happens when someone falls asleep at the wheel and I believe that is what caused my accident,” Murray said in a statement.

“I take full responsibility for my accident. I am grateful that I am OK and that no one was injured. Accidents happen quickly and mine was a serious one,” he said. “I appreciate the response and the work of the State Police and I am especially thankful for all of the good wishes my family and I have received since the accident,”

The Boston Globe reports Murray will be ticketed $555 for for speeding, a marked lanes violation, and failure to wear his seat belt,
but will not face more significant charges such as reckless driving.  Murray was assigned the unmarked 2007 Ford Crown Victoria to use for state business. The vehicle was purchased for about $35,000 and valued at $9,000 at the time of the crash.

It is unclear at this time if Murray will pay for the totaled car.

Comments (54)

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  • thegoldman
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 6:45pm

    Murray walked away physically unscathed from the early morning crash.

    Guaranteed drunk !

    Report Post » thegoldman  
    • ishka4me
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 9:51pm

      what an ad for crown vic, he walked away and took a breathalizer. still doesn’t answer why he was heading home at 5 a.m. from fitchburg(about 24 miles north of his home in worcester. He was heading south. Said he was surveying storm damage along I190 but at that time it was very very dark, no storm damage to be seen.More to the story but not alcohol.

      Report Post »  
    • hud
      Posted on January 4, 2012 at 10:40am

      Damn! I could never do more than 95 while sleeping at the wheel.

      Report Post »  
    • KenInIL
      Posted on January 4, 2012 at 8:18pm

      Good argument for permanent chauffeur for governors. It just takes a little money and you can fix anything in a lib state. No personal responsibility needed !!

      Report Post »  
  • jungle J
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 6:32pm

    if you were one of the few sane left you would be charged with reckless driving.

    Report Post »  
  • Watchyer6
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:50pm

    How drunk was he?

    Report Post » Watchyer6  
  • gmoneytx
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:45pm

    He took his eyes off the road to roll his own cigarettes…

    Report Post » gmoneytx  
  • Publius Novus
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:45pm

    ‘I CAN’T DRIVE…55″!!!!
    If that was just any ordinary citizen of MA, you can bet you bottom they would have been arrested & not just cited. Witness, the privileged few & what they get away with, he should resign.

    Report Post » Publius Novus  
  • schroeder123
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:39pm

    You wasted a state car…it is so simple.. your integrity is out the window, Bring in the next guy because you are fired !

    Report Post » schroeder123  
  • schroeder123
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:38pm

    YOU are FIRED !

    Report Post » schroeder123  
  • lawrench
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:18pm

    Whether he fell asleep or not, I do not think there is much to this story. Face it, we have all fallen asleep at the wheel. We all have accelerated past the posted speed limit. What I think is the true story is what if the vehicle was an electric or hybrid vehicle? Would he have survived? What would have been the environmental impact of the accident? Why is Mass using gas guzzeling vehicles in its motorpool? I thought the Mass government wanted to promote “Green” energy? That is the story that should have been reported. Why does politicians get to use gas guzzeling vehicles when they want the rest of us subjects to use “Green” transportation?

    Report Post » lawrench  
    • TheBurningTruth
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:30pm

      Don’t confuse YOUR sleep driving with anyone else. Your statement of “we have all fallen asleep at the wheel” is the typical corrupt moral equivalence so popular today. I’ve never fallen asleep at the wheel, and from what I can tell, most others haven’t as well.

      What possible relevance can the type of car have here? Do hybrids “auto-steer” for you? As for survivability, try reading crash test results from the Insurance Industry, car manufacturers or even Consumer reports. One isolated crash is meaningless. This is another inane comment.

      As for all you drivel about MA using “gass gulleling vehicles” that has NO relevance to the story itself. The story is about the Lt. Gov probably falling asleep, crashing and destroying the car and then getting away with a lousy $556 ticket.

      What your comment appears to be, is you trying to turn this into some kind of “green story” to support your eco-terrorist bent. That’s pretty apparent in your very first statement where you assert that (my wording), “This story isn’t about this story, I want it to be about THAT story!”

      You sound like a Progressive Liberal.

      Report Post » TheBurningTruth  
    • lawrench
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:40pm

      @TheBurningTruth, I think you are not seeing the point I was making. If you think I am a Liberal, I think you would be sorely disappointed in your ability to figure people out. The point I was making is that the liberal governments have pushed the “Green” energy angle but yet, the Liberal politicains to not practice what they preach. I am pushing an Eco point, just not the one you think. It is more about hypocracy than about environmentalism. More about how the story could have been covered showing the hypocracy not only with the ticket but with the vehicle he was driving. It would have been interesting to know if one of those “Eco”/“Green” energy cars was involved in the same accident, how would the outcome have changed? So instead of trying to belittle someone, try seeing thier point of view before you start typing at your keyboard.

      Report Post » lawrench  
    • Bonnieblue2A
      Posted on January 4, 2012 at 10:18am

      Indeed many people drive too tired behind the wheel. I’ve been guilty though never fallen completely asleep. It is at least as dangerous as drunk driving. Sometimes we just have to remind ourselves that the $60 for a hotel room is worth more than pushing all the way through on a long drive. We and the others will get home alive if we choose to be smart and more safe with our driving habits.

      Teach your children well.

      Report Post »  
    • zwolfe12
      Posted on January 4, 2012 at 10:57am

      This accident happened back in November. Lt. Gov Murry claimed that he wasn’t speeding, and he was wearing his seatbelt. He also claimed that he slipped on ice. The black box revealed otherwise. Just another case of a Democrat lying to get gain. The truth doesn’t matter to liberals.

      Report Post »  
  • chicago76
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:16pm

    Don’t forget our boy Smitten Romney was the governor of the peoples republic of Massachusetts. The republican party seems to be giving him the democrat buy for that. Think of it this way. Would we vote for Putin if he was the ex presidente of the Peoples republic of Russia. Would you believe him if he suddenly said,”I am a conswervative now wepublicans pwease vote for me.”

    Report Post »  
  • chips1
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:15pm

    The fact that no mention of his B.A. tends to make me believe something is being covered up.SOP provides for the test. Someone higher up in the police agency stuck their fingers into the pie. BINGO!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • lynda1276
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:09pm

    sick and tired of hearing these things. i got a ticket ($166.00) for not coming to a complete stop while taking a right. I would agree if i cut someone off and almost caused an accident, but this is at a road where you hardly ever see another car.

    Report Post »  
    • TheBurningTruth
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:23pm

      The problem with your rationalization (hardly ever see another car) is that it turns into, “well, they were supposed to stop too!“ or ”I could still squeeze ahead of them”, or “I was just in a hurry to pickup my kids (parents use kids as some kind of super excuse all the time). I have seen plenty of cases where people were so busy “checking for traffic” as they cruise through the stop sign that they almost ran over pedestrians in the cross walk. Stop signs are exactly that, stop signs and they’re there to control the flow of traffic, and a one must still stop even if they’re going to turn right.

      Your real complain SHOULD be that this clown got off with a lousy $556 ticket when anyone one of us would have been cited for something worse.

      Report Post » TheBurningTruth  
  • navydoc2008
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:06pm

    Most of the posts I have read here are very condeming, and do not give him the benefit of the doubt. Shouldn’t we as good Americans give someone the benefit of the doubt? Does he have a history of driving badly that we don’t know about? Did he wait until the next morning to report that he had dumped his car in a lake with his passenger still in it? No, he says he fell asleep (something I must say has happened to me before), he accellerated (foot on gas) and crashed. It’s called an accident! Be thankfull nobody was hurt and move on!

    Report Post »  
  • randy
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:02pm

    No one walks away from an accident like that at 100MPH without being drunk off their A$$!
    You or I would be in Jail now.
    I was friends with a guy whose wife worked for the Syracuse, NY DA, and every one in the DA’s office was given a “Get out of Jail card” if ever stopped when drunk, all they had to do is show it to the officer responding and the cop either let them go, or followed them home.

    Think you or I would get one of those?

    HEII NO!

    Report Post » randy  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 8:24pm

      Yo… I also don’t get to have my neighbors buy me a new one (taxpayer expence) when I recklessly destroy the FREE one given to me at their expence!

      Report Post »  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:02pm

    .
    He pulled a Teddy, except no one DROWNED!!!!!!!!!…………………

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • drago
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:58pm

    As a demoncrat, he is entitled to drive that fast, while asleep!

    Report Post »  
  • piper60
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:45pm

    Living in Ma with several state politicians having DUI’s, this is just par for the course.

    Report Post » piper60  
  • ozchambers
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:44pm

    Maybe he should run for president? That guy can take a hit!

    Report Post » ozchambers  
  • Detroit paperboy
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:33pm

    Falling asleep… And a bottle of Jack Daniels !!!!!

    Report Post »  
  • Revere2
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:32pm

    Being from Ma they should have given him a blood test.

    Report Post » Revere2  
  • lukerw
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:28pm

    This guy is sick — I find that: the Faster that I go, the more Alert that I am :)

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • AMERICAN BEAR
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:26pm

    REALLY?!……..Not being charged with reckless driving….So besides being liberal…and Lt. Gov….Why Not?…..How about reckless endangerment. So I guess someone in his position has to kill people to be charged with a ‘serious crime’….I bet I would have been charged with more serious crimes. Of course I guess the STUPID get more leniency than I or you would.
    Shame on the Ma. State Police and the officers personally at the scene.

    Report Post »  
    • cessna152
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:01pm

      I get a ticket for going 7 MPH over the speed limit and can go to jail for having a gun (legally) in my car in NJ. When the heck is the madness going to end. We are the USSR people, please explain how we are any different…

      Report Post » cessna152  
  • I.Gaspar
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:25pm

    No seatbelt, 100mph…is he related to Corzine?
    These dem governor’s/Lt. governors should have warning signs on their cars.
    He‘s lucky he didn’t kill anyone.

    Report Post »  
  • biohazard23
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:18pm

    Oopsie!

    Report Post » biohazard23  
  • NeoKong
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:14pm

    It’s easy to take full responsibility when there are no consequences. Anyone else would have been arrested on the spot and hit with a multitude of charges.

    Report Post » NeoKong  
    • Just A Private
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:25pm

      probably not arrested, he did get multiple citations though. Sounds pretty similar to the consequences a regular civilian (with no warrants) would have gotten in a similar situation.

      Report Post » Just A Private  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:09pm

    Glad he’s ok; very fortunate.

    Report Post »  
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