Brookline Librarian Recovering After Being Struck by Out-of-Control Driver

A veteran Brookline librarian is recovering in a West Roxbury rehabilitation center after she was while walking down a Route 9 sidewalk late last month.

Mary Bergman, a librarian with the town for more than 30 years, sustained serious injuries to her legs after the car came crashing onto the sidewalk near High Street and sent her flying through the air. The driver allegedly struck two other cars before coming to a stop and now faces criminal charges.

Brookline’s head librarian, Chuck Flaherty, said Bergman remains in “good spirits” despite her injuries and the rehabilitation work ahead.

“She’s got a very long road ahead of her,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of rehab, a lot of work, but I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mary and I’m very confident she’s going to work hard at it and will do well for herself.”

Meanwhile, Brookline Police have charged the driver of the car, 70-year-old Joseph Green of Southborough, with negligent driving, unsafe lane changes and improper passing. Green initially told police that his accelerator had been stuck when he crash onto the sidewalk and struck Bergman, but Captain Michael Gropman said investigators found no mechanical defects in the car.

Gropman blamed the accident on “driver error” and said it’s likely Green had mistakenly put his foot on the gas pedal instead of the brake.

Witnesses at the scene told Patch that Green’s car, a 2005 Toyota Camry, had been coming up behind a stopped van on the eastbound side of Route 9 when it veered onto the sidewalk and struck Bergman, then turned back onto the road and hit a second car from behind. Green’s car then reportedly swerved into the left-hand lane and struck another van before coming to a stop.

Witnesses said Bergman was thrown through the air and landed in the middle of the street more than 20 feet away. She was conscious and talking with paramedics as they arrived on the scene, they said.

 Flaherty said Bergman has rarely taken a sick day in her more than three decades with the town and has plenty of stored-up time to use while she recovers. He said he hopes to have her back in the library, where she handles cataloging and inter-library loans, soon.

“She’s just been a tremendous employee,” he said.