OAK BLUFFS – One person was killed, another critically injured in collision between a moped and a car in Oak Bluffs. The incident happened late Thursday morning on Beach Road. Both victims were rushed to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital where one was pronounced dead. Police advised Beach Road was closed between the triangle on the Edgartown side and from Connicus/Seaview Ave on the Oak Bluffs side.
From Oak Bluffs Police: On Thursday at 11:33 AM, Oak Bluffs Police and Oak Bluffs Fire/EMS were dispatched to the area of the “Big Bridge” on Sea View Avenue for a report of a moped vs motor vehicle crash. Upon arrival, responding officers advised the both the operator and passenger of the moped had severe traumatic injuries requires life-saving methods and tourniquets.
Multiple witnesses told officers that the operator was traveling southeast towards Edgartown and abruptly swerved into the opposite lane. It was also reported that they were not wearing helmets. The moped then collided head-on with a Jeep Wrangler traveling toward Oak Bluffs. Witnesses reported that the Jeep was being operated safely prior to the crash. Initial investigation on scene by responding officers has not led to any citations or criminal charges against the operator of the Jeep. The moped was rented earlier in the day in Oak Bluffs and two helmets were located with the moped at the crash scene.
The operator of the moped was identified as Julie Harris, 41, of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Harris was pronounced dead at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. The passenger on the moped was identified as Anya Fisher, 40, of Boston. Fisher was transported to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and later transferred to a Boston Hospital via MedFlight.
Edgartown Police and Edgartown Fire/EMS also responded and assisted at the scene of the crash.
Massachusetts State Police are conducting the full investigation of the crash.
From Mass State Police: Shortly before noon on August 15, Troopers assigned to Oak Bluffs Barracks responded to reports of a two-vehicle crash with serious injuries on Seaview Avenue in Oak Bluffs. Upon arrival, emergency personnel discovered a moped and a Jeep Wrangler that were involved in an apparent head-on crash.
The preliminary investigation indicates that a moped and Jeep were traveling on Seaview Ave in opposite directions. As they approached each other, the operator of the moped lost control, crossed the median, and collided with the Jeep.
The collision caused the moped’s operator, Julia Harris, 41, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and a 40-year-old female passenger from Boston to be thrown to the ground. Harris succumbed to her injuries at the scene of the crash and the passenger was air lifted to a Boston area hospital where she is now in stable condition. Witness statements, as well as video footage in the area, reveal both occupants of the moped were wearing helmets at the time of the crash.
The operator of the Jeep, a 41-year-old woman from Newark, N.J., was not injured in the crash. The Jeep was also occupied by four other adult women, one of whom suffered minor injuries.
The exact cause and circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by members of State Police-Oak Bluffs, Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section, and Crime Scene Services. Troopers were on scene investigating the crash until approximately 7 p.m.
