Police Investigating Speed as Factor in Fatal Charles River Crash

Photo Credit: Boston Fire Department

Massachusetts State Police are investigating the cause of a crash that killed two people after a car smashed through an iron fence, went off Boston’s Craigie Bridge, and into the Charles River below Saturday night.

Around 6:40 p.m., a 2010 Toyota Tacoma truck was traveling north on Nashua Street before running a red light at Leverett Circle and side-swiping a 2008 Acura MDX which was already traveling northbound in the circle, police said. The truck then went off the road and into the water.

Rian Arcand, 36, of North Smithfield, Rhode Island and Rebecca Smith, 36, of Providence, Rhode Island, were both killed in the crash.

According to Dave Procopio, of the state police, the victims’ Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was not part of any Toyota recall for unintended acceleration problems. However, police are investigating whether speed was a factor in the crash.

“We are investigating speed as a factor,” Procopio told the Boston Globe. “The ongoing collision reconstruction, in conjunction with witness statements, will help us determine the speed.”

Police are also examining the 100-year-old fence in which the car crashed through and whether it should have “withstood the impact of the vehicle,” the newspaper reports.

Click through the gallery above to view photos from the scene.