Lifeflight called to scene of 3 car accident on I-495 in Franklin

Mass State Police troopers and Franklin firefighters responded to a 3 car motor vehicle accident on I-495 southbound near Route 140 just before 11:00 AM Tuesday morning. Upon arrival, they discovered a head-on collision. Initial investigation showed that a woman operating her vehicle on the northbound side crossed over the median, causing the accident. At least one person was trapped in their vehicle, and a UMass Lifeflight helicopter was requested. Lifeflight 1 landed on the highway and transported one injured person, a man in his 30's who sustained life-threatening injuries, to UMass Hospital in Worcester. A second injured person was transported to Rhode Island Hospital by ground ambulance. Two more people with less serious injuries, and adult and a child, were transported to Milford Hospital.
MSP accident reconstruction teams remain on scene investigating the crash.

Person shot behind Bromley-Heath projects

A shotspotter activation behind the Bromley Heath projects led Boston Police to a crime scene in the rear of 964 Parker Street, where they found a blood trail in the middle of the courtyard. Shortly afterwards, a vehicle was stopped in the area of 1015 Tremont Street with several people inside, including the victim. The woman was transported to Boston Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The suspect is believed to have fled on foot towards the Jackson Square MBTA station. The shooting is being worked by the Boston Regional Intelligence Center real-time crime unit, as well as crime scene technicians and detectives. At this time, the shooting appears to be gang related, and possibly a retaliatory act in response to another shooting. Ballistics evidence was located by K9 behind 265 Centre Street.
Boston Police are searching for a Terrence Keith, a dark complexioned male, last seen wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. He has a "Heath Street" tattoo on his arm.

Man flown by helicopter after motorcycle crash in Auburn, New Hampshire

One person had to be flown by medical helicopter to Mass General Hospital after a motorcycle accident in the 200 block of Chester Road early Wednesday morning. The patient was flown by helicopter DHART 2, and was reported to be a male in his 40's who had lost his right leg below the knee in the accident. The helicopter landed near the scene at the Auburn Village School.

UPDATE 3:22PM: An eyewitness at the scene has provided the following information:

It was out in front of my house. I was first on scene along with my neighbor. It was just one man 40's-50's. According to him, he hit the telephone pole after swerving to avoid a critter. For a while he was lucid enough to realize he was missing a leg and asked if I would prop it up for him. He was thrown about 30 feet from the bike. He was still conscious and moaning when they put him in the ambulance. His leg was severed off about 1/2 way up his shin.

Another person reports that the man's leg was transported with him to the hospital, where they may attempt to reattach it.

Predicting earthquake effects with twitter

Twitter follower Brian D'Amico asked me how long it took for today's earthquake to reach us here in New England, and it prompted me to do a little math.

Per the USGS, seismic waves travel at anywhere from 2-8 kilometers per second. From the epicenter of the earthquake to Boston is roughly 853 km, give or take 30 or 40 kilometers. This means it would take the somewhere between 1 minute 46 seconds and 7 minutes for the earthquake to be felt in Boston.

USGS recorded the earthquake happening at 1:51 PM local time. The first tweet I received regarding the earthquake was at 1:57, by @gnimsh. Assuming twitters clocks and the USGS's clocks are pretty close, and that @gnimsh tweeted me right away, this definitely fits into the window. It's also worth noting that @gnimsh was alerted to the earthquake even earlier, since he already knew it occurred in Virginia. Also of note is that the USGS alert email didn't go out until 2:06 or so.

I'm guessing that there were plenty of tweets about the earthquake from people in Virginia in the 6 minutes it took for the shaking to get here. In fact, someone with better skills at searching twitter could probably show a neat trail of tweets as the tremors spread outwards. It seems to me that you (and by "you", I mean a computer program) could roughly judge the severity of a quake by the number of people tweeting about it, and even the approximate speed of it by the spread of tweets, and subsequently issue warnings to people one or two minutes before the quake hits them.

I'm not a computer programmer or seismologist. I'm interested in hearing other people's thoughts on this, though.

Man shot in the leg on Dudley St in Roxbury

A man was shot in the leg near the corner of Dudley Street and Greenville St just before 1:00 PM on Monday. Boston Police officers located the victim near Zeigler Street and Winslow Street, and recovered a firearm behind a building on Dudley Street.
Boston Police report the victim was transported by EMS to Boston Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Sunset Grill employee stabbed twice on Brighton Ave

Boston Police responded to the area of 138 Brighton Ave in Allston at 2:00 AM Monday and found a Sunset Grill employee stabbed twice to the back. The stab wounds were relatively minor,  and the man was transported by BLS ambulance to Beth Israel. Initial reports are that the suspect in the stabbing is the employee's cousin.

Man Lifeflighted after being hit by police car in Framingham

UMass Lifeflight was requested and responded to Framingham early Saturday morning for a man in his 30's who was reportedly struck by a police car on Waverly St. The helicopter landed at the DPW yard off Western Avenue and transported the man to the UMass Medical Center. An accident reconstruction team is investigating the incident.

I-84 shut down in Union, CT due to fatal accident

Traffic on I-84 in Union, CT is being stopped due to a rollover accident in the area of Exit 74. A nurse on scene reports two people were ejected from the vehicle. One patient is reported to be deceased, and the second is reported to have significant bleeding and extensive blood loss. A UMass Lifeflight helicopter will be landing on the highway to transport the injured person, a man in his 70's, to UMass Medical Center in Worcester.

Lowell PD shoot knife-wielding domestic violence suspect

Lowell Police responded to an East Merrimack St address this afternoon for a reported domestic disturbance, and were confronted by a man in his 50's who had reportedly been threatening his mother. The man then allegedly ran towards officers with a knife in his hands, and was shot by police. He was transported to Lowell General Hospital while a DHART medical helicopter was requested. DHART 2 responded and transported the man to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Medics reported that the man was shot three times, once each in the thigh, abdomen, and buttocks.
No police officers were reported to be injured.

Man injured in Peabody golf cart rollover

A 79 year old man was injured this morning at the New Meadows Country Club in Peabody when the golf cart he was driving rolled over and landed on top of him. The man stated to emergency workers that he had been driving too fast while going down a hill on the golf course. Atlantic EMS Paramedic 1 transported the man to Mass General Hospital in Boston to be treated for lacerations, internal and external bruising. Part of the man's ear was torn off in the accident, as well.

Shooting in Reading declared a homicide

Authorities continue to investigate the shooting death of a man inside a Lawrence St home Monday afternoon, and are now declaring the death a homicide.
According to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, the victim, identified as 22 year old Joseph Ronan, died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds sustained in his home. Police believe that Ronan was targeted, and that the shooting was not random.

Man stabbed in front of Cambridge City Hall

Around 11:30 Thursday night, Cambridge Police responded to 795 Massachusetts Ave for a report of a man stabbed. They located a victim, described as a man in his 50's with a stab wound to his upper chest. The man was transported by ambulance to Mass General Hospital.

Sovereign Bank in Kenmore Square robbed

Boston Police responded to a hold up alarm at the Sovereign Bank at 522 Commonwealth Ave at 3:00 this afternoon. On arrival, they confirmed that the bank had been robbed by a male subject into Kenmore Square, towards the Newbury St. extension.

Realated: Back Bay bank robber captured near Fenway Park.

Boston bank robbed by man driving escalade

UPDATE: Just before 11:00 PM, a Boston Police officer on patrol spotted a suspect matching the description walking on Yawkey Way near Fenway Park. The man was stopped and ID'd, and subsequently taken into custody on bank robbery & parole violation charges. He was transported to BPD District A-1, where he was booked. He is currently being interviewed by agents from the FBI's Bank Robbery Task Force. 
A BPD gun K-9 is searching the area around Fenway Park for the firearm used in the robbery.

Per police, just after 5:00 PM, a man dressed in a white jumpsuit and a black ski mask entered the Cambridge Trust Bank at 65 Beacon St in Boston, and demanded the teller hand over the cash at gunpoint. According to witnesses, he then ran outside and fled in a waiting vehicle...a black Cadillac Escalade.

So I guess if you ever thought "I'd have to rob a bank to afford one of those", well, maybe you were right.

The suspect received bait money, complete with GPS tracker.

The car the suspect fled in was found near the Copley Place garage. Boston Police, along with FBI agents from the Bank Robbery Task Force, are searching the area for the suspect. Police are also searching the area of the Christian Science Center. He was observed changing clothes on the parking garage security cameras.

Law enforcement on the scene believe that at least two vehicles were involved in the robbery. The first vehicle, located in the garage, is believed to belong to the alleged suspect, and has been seized by the FBI. It is also believed that the suspect stole a second vehicle, also believed to be in the garage.

A suspect with the same name was convicted of robbing another Boston bank 23 years ago, with a gun that turned out to be fake. He received a 25 year sentence, and was released from prison in March of this year.

Per UniversalHub, the bank was also robbed at gunpoint in May.

Tractor Trailer rollover on I-93 southbound in Wilmington

A rolled-over tractor trailer near Exit 39 has I-93 southbound shut down and traffic backed up for miles. Crews at the scene are working to free people from the wreck.

UPDATE: Massachusetts State Police are confirming one fatality in the accident. A second patient was taken to Lahey Hospital, and a third person is in State Police custody.

Related:

Earlier today, a car slammed into a stopped semi on I-93 in Methuen, killing one.

Car crashes into Manchester gas station, starts fire

A driver suffering from a medical emergency lost control of his vehicle this morning, crashing it into the gas pumps at the Northland Express on the corner of Elm Street and Webster St. From the MPD news release:

The preliminary investigation indicates a 2003 Mercury Marquis was traveling westbound on Webster St. when the operator, Peter Kendall, 61, of Hooksett, NH experienced a medical event and lost consciousness. The vehicle traveled across the eastbound lane and through the parking lot of The Fruit Center before entering the parking lot of the Northend Express. The vehicle collided with the gas pump which immediately ignited the fire.

The crash was witnessed by a Manchester Firefighter from Engine 5, and MFD quickly responded and contained the fire. Witnesses to the crash pulled the driver and his granddaughter to safety. The crash resulted in minor injuries.

Reading police investigate fatal shooting on Lawrence Rd

Just after 1:00 PM Monday afternoon, Reading Police received reports of a shooting on Lawrence Rd. When police arrived at the home at 3 Lawrence Rd, they found a deceased victim on a first floor couch, with a firearm nearby. RPD, with assistance from the Massachusetts State Police, cleared the rest of the house room-by-room. A MSP K9 responded to possibly track the suspect, who may have fled on foot. Additionally, neighbors reported seeing a black SUV or van drive away after hearing the shots.

UPDATE 6:45 PM: From the District Attorney's office:

At approximately 1:08pm today, Reading Police responded to reports of shots fired at a residence at 3 Lawrence Road in Reading.  Upon arrival, police located the body of a young male, evidencing obvious gunshot wounds.  The decedent, 22 year old Joseph Ronan, was determined to be dead at the scene.
Reading Police and State Police assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office commenced an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the death, and that investigation is ongoing.  The death has been determined to be suspicious.
An autopsy will be conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (ME) and further details will be released when available.

Postal worker hit by van in Malden

Malden Police responded to a pedestrian struck call late Monday morning and found a US Postal Service letter carrier who had been struck by a van. Witnesses reported seeing her going up over the hood of the van before landing in the road. Per EMS, the woman was unresponsive when Malden Fire arrived on scene, and after regaining consciousness, was unable to recall the incident. She was transported by Cataldo EMS to the hospital. Malden Police took custody of her mail van and delivered it to the post office.

NOTE: I didn't catch the location on this. Officers were talking about shutting down the road at Highland Ave, so I'm guessing it was in the area of Pleasant St. If anyone knows where this occurred, please let me know. Thanks!

UPDATE 4:39 PM: Malden Patch reports the accident happened in the area of 495 Pleasant St.

Fatal accident on I-93 in Methuen

Massachusetts State Police are investigating a crash that resulted in a fatality on I-93 southbound near Exit 47 in Methuen Monday morning. The crash involved a semi truck and a passenger car. One person was pronounced dead on the scene. The state medical examiners office is also on scene investigating.

UPDATE 5:47PM: The rest of the story, from the MSP police report:

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Jeremy Sweeney indicates that 1999 Cadillac Deville sedan operated by a 57-year-old Arlington man was traveling south on the highway when, south of Exit 47, it veered off the road to its right. The Cadillac collided with the rear of a tractor-trailer that was parked the emergency cutout of the roadway. The driver of the Cadillac suffered fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced deceased at the scene. 

The reason why the driver veered off the road remains under investigation. 

The crash remains under investigation by Troop A of the Massachusetts State Police with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Section, and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section. Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Metheun Fire Department and the Department of Transportation’s Highway Division. 

The right lane and breakdown lane on the southbound side at the crash scene were closed for two hours and forty-five minutes to accommodate the rescue response, crash investigation, and cleanup.

Related: Fatal accident involving tractor-trailer on I-93 in Wilmington

Suspect, police exchange gunfire on Warren St.

Boston Police officers returned fire after a suspect allegedly shot at them on Warren St near Martin Luther King Blvd just after 1:30 AM Sunday morning. the suspect fled in a red Mitsubishi. It is unknown if anyone was hit.

UPDATE: Per Andrea Courtois from WBZ News, BPD media relations reports that the incident was only a BPD officer accidentally discharging his weapon in the street. I'm eagerly awaiting the press release, and will post further details as soon as I know more.

UPDATE 4:06PM Monday: Still no press release from BPD on the matter, but I've reviewed the recording of the radio transmissions of the event. Here's what happened:

A BPD detective unit was attempting to stop a red Mitsubishi Galant, MA plate 46JS86. The vehicle was traveling Westbound on Martin Luther King, and took a right turn onto Humboldt Avenue when they lost sight of it. Multiple Boston Police units converged on the area in an attempt to locate and stop the vehicle, which was then spotted taking a turn onto Washington St from Dale St. Police pursued the vehicle onto Thornton St, headed towards Valentine. Shortly thereafter, police reported "shots fired" on Fulda Street, one block over, and all police in the district were ordered to respond. At this point, the vehicle was reported to be on Fulda St, headed towards Heath St. An officer came up on the radio and reported that the shots were fired by police, and confirmed that no one in the vehicle had fired. The department shooting team was notified to respond to Fulda St & Valentine St, where the shots were fired. The vehicle was then spotted traveling up Parker Hill Ave towards Mission Hill. A BOLO for the vehicle was then put out on BPD channel 4 for the Jamaica Plain officers, and the dispatcher reported that "shots were fired". The vehicle was last seen on the Jamaicaway headed towards the Fenway. A BOLO was issued to all BPD officers in an attempt to locate the vehicle, and for officer safety, and the occupants were referred to as "armed and dangerous".

Backhoe rolls off truck on I-495 in Southbororough, killing one

From the Massachusetts State Police press release:

At 1:15 p.m. today, Troopers assigned to the Massachusetts State Police Barracks in Millbury responded to a crash on Route 495 southbound, south of Simarano Drive (Exit 23C), in Southborough, that resulted in one fatality and serious injuries to three people.
Preliminary investigation by Trooper Craig Brabham indicates that a 2010 Freightliner truck towing a 2007 Case backhoe on a trailer, was travelling south on Route 495 when the backhoe rolled off of the trailer and landed on top of a 2000 Toyota Sienna operated by Yingzi Wang, 42, of Westford.The Toyota and the backhoe travelled down an embankment approximately 20 feet and came to final rest with the backhoe on top of the Toyota. The four occupants of the Toyota were trapped inside.
Xjaoyun Jiang, of Westford, who was a backseat passenger in the Toyota, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The most specific information that family members can provide is that she was in her 70’s.  The operator of the Toyota was transported by medical helicopter to UMass Medical Center. Two children, a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, who were also passengers in the Toyota, were transported by ambulance to UMass Medical Center.  The operator of the truck, Jeffrey Fisher, 49, of Coventry, Rhode Island, was not injured.  The truck is owned by National Grid.
The crash remains under investigation by Troop C of the Massachusetts State Police with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Section and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section. Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Southborough and Westborough Fire Departments and the Department of Transportation’s Highway Division.
The two right travel lanes and the breakdown lane were closed for approximately 6 hours and traffic was delayed for approximately 3 ½ miles. All lanes were opened at 8:00 p.m. 

Raynham man killed in motorcycle crash on Route 24

Just before 5:00AM on Friday, August 12th, Massachusetts State Police troopers responded to a motorcycle crash on Route 24 southbound just past the I-495 exit in Raynham. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead on the scene, and Route 24 southbound pwas shut down until 9:00. From the MSP press release:

Preliminary investigation by Troopers Gregory Furtado and Donald Short indicates that Charles J. Levesque, 54, of Raynham was operating a 2006 Honda VTX130 when he lost control of the bike on a stretch of road south of the Route 495 exit. Mr. Levesque, who was wearing a helmet, was separated from the bike, and rider and motorcycle came to rest in different travel lanes.

State Police report Levesque may have also been struck by an unknown driver after the initial crash. The accident remains under investigation.

Medflight called to scene of multi-car rollover in Waltham

Boston Medflight was called to the scene of a six car accident on Rt. 128 southbound near Winter St. just after 8:30 PM Friday evening. Two of the vehicles involved in the accident had rolled over. Both sides of the highway were shutdown so that the Medflight helicopter could land on the road. One female in her 20's, who was found out of her vehicle, was transported by helicopter to Mass General hospital in Boston. Two pediatric patients were transported to Children's Hospital in Boston by ground ambulance, and a 4th patient, an adult was also taken by ambulance to the hospital.

2 people shot on Blue Hill Ave

Boston Police responded to a report of a shooting at 1461 Blue Hill Ave just before 10:00 Friday night, and found two people suffering from gunshot wounds. One victim, who was shot in the arm, was transported to Boston Medical Center. The status of the second victim is unknown.

Danvers man killed in accident on I-95 in Boxford

Just before 10:00 PM on August 10th, Massachusetts State Police responded to a single car accident on I-95 Northbound near Exit 52 and found a single vehicle off the highway into the woods. The driver, identified as Tuc Phan, a 67 year old man from Danvers, was in traumatic arrest and did not have a pulse. Witnesses reported they had observed the vehicle traveling the wrong way on the highway just before the crash. Boxford Fire Department Car 48 began giving the man CPR on scene, and he was transported by ambulance to Beverly Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. State Police believe Phan may have suffered from a medical incident immediately before the crash.

Uniden DMA scanner basics

When I got my first Uniden DMA scanner, a BC346XT, I was completely baffled by the way the memory is organized. My old scanners had banks of channels, say, 50 banks, with 50 available channels in each. If I programmed only ten channels into a bank, the other 40 channels couldn't be re-allocated in another bank.  Uniden aimed to remedy this with a more flexible memory arrangement.
On a Uniden scanner, channels are nested into groups, which are nested into systems. So, on a larger conventional system that I listen to often, such as the city of Boston, I'll have it programmed in as such:

System: Boston
Group 1: Police
Channel 1: BPD Channel 1
Channel 2: BPD Channel 2, etc...
Group 2: Fire
Channel 1: BFD Channel 1 , etc
Group 3: EMS
Channel 1: BEMS Channel 1, etc

Because there are only 100 System Quick Keys (more on that later), you'll want to keep your total number of systems under 100. You can program in many more, having systems without Quick Keys, or two systems can share a Quick Key, but I prefer for every system to have it's own Quick Key. So, for smaller systems that I don't listen to as frequently, I arrange them a little differently:

System: Midddlesex County #1
Group 1: Acton
Channel 1: Acton PD
Channel 2: Acton FD
Channel 3: Acton EMS
Group 2: Arlington
Channel 1: Arlington PD
Channel 2: Arlington FD
Channel 3: Arlington EMS
etc, etc

Each system can have 10 Group Quick Keys, so I prefer to have no more than 10 groups per system. Because of this, Middlesex County takes up 4 or so systems on my scanners. Fortunately, there's still plenty of room.
Once you map out how you are going to assign all of your systems, groups and channels, you can program them in. Hand programming is possible, but using the computer makes it exponentially faster. I recommend the program Freescan, as it's just as good as any other program, and it's free.
Systems and groups are turned on and off by their quick keys. Because of this, every system & group should be assigned it's own quick key. As an example, on my scanner, Boston has a system quick key of 9. Simply pressing 9 on the keypad turns Boston on and off. While scanning Boston, I can turn the different groups (police/fire/ems) on and off with their group quick keys, by pressing "Func" and then the group number. I strongly recommend not using the Lockout (L/O) feature to turn channels on and off, as it can be time consuming, and can also lead to the glitchy "nothing to scan" error. The only channels I have permanently locked out are the ones that I definitely never want to listen to, for instance, BPD Channel 8, the listings and warrants channel. Pressing L/O once while on a channel you don't want to hear is acceptable, as it will only lock it out for this session, and it will be unlocked when you turn the scanner off and back on again.
Trunking systems are similar, although they are broken down into "Sites", then "Groups", then "Channels (talkgroups)". Individual sites can be assigned their own System Quick Key, so that as you travel between sites, you can quickly switch between them.

3 year old girl hit by car on Thorn St in Boston

Boston Police officers responded to 20 Thorn St for a child hit by a car Thursday evening. Upon arrival they observed a 3 year old girl, conscious and alert, with abrasions sustained from being hit by a car going approximately 10 MPH. The girl was transported to Children's Hospital by Fallon EMS. Her injuries were reported to be minor.

Fatal accident on Storrow Drive

MSP, Boston Fire, and EMS are on scene with an accident on Storrow Drive westbound in the area of Kenmore Square. At least two people were ejected from their vehicle, a GMC Sierra pickup truck, and one died at the scene. A second patient was transported to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with serious injuries. Incident is ongoing, and updates will be posted as they become available.

UPDATE 12:37PM: Per the Suffolk County DA's office, the passenger of the vehicle, a 22 year old Needham man, was killed. The driver of the vehicle, also a 22 year old man from Needham, remains in critical condition at Beth Israel.

Two shot on Favre Street in Mattapan

Boston Police and EMS responded to 16 Favre Street for a report of two people shot at around 11:00 PM tonight. One victim was transported to Brigham & Women's Hospital with 5 gunshot wounds, all to the arms and legs. His wounds were not considered to be life-threatening. The condition of the second victim is not known.
Stanley Staco reports that the shooter fled on foot, and was last seen jumping over a fence in the backyard at 8 Brockton Street.

Serious injuries after 18 wheeler rollover on highway in Wareham

Police, fire, and EMS responded Monday night to a tractor-trailer rollover at the intersection of I-195 and I-495. Jaws of life had to be used to free two people from the cab of the semi truck. At least one person was seriously injured, and Boston Medflight was requested. Med 1 landed on the highway at the scene and flew one victim to Beth Israel Deaconess medical center in Boston. Lanes remain closed as the Massachusetts State Police Collision & Accident Reconstruction Team (CART) investigates the accident.

Man struck and killed by train in West Bridgewater

A man was struck and killed by a MBTA Commuter Rail train near West St in West Bridgewater Monday evening. More details will be posted as they become available.

UPDATE 8:48PM: Enterprise News article with a little bit more info.

Boston C-Med System

I had been considering doing a blog post on C-Med for a while now, so when I received an email today with some questions about it, I figured now is as good a time as any.

At the most basic, C-Med is a statewide system used by ambulances to communicate patient information with the receiving hospital. The Massachusetts C-Med system is divided among five control centers throughout the state. Each system uses the same frequencies, but different PL tones. The frequencies and tones can be found here.

The basic system is made up of eight channels, each consisting of two frequencies. One frequency is used by the hospital, and the other, by the ambulance. The "hospital" side is repeated, so you will be able to hear that throughout the region, but the ambulance side can only be heard if you are within a few miles of the ambulance itself. The exception to this for Boston C-Med are Med-4 and Med-8, both of which have the ambulance side repeated on the hospital frequency. In other words, you can hear both sides of the traffic on the hospital frequency for Med-4 and Med-8. Medical helicopters also use the C-Med system, so you can often hear them on the ambulance side from a good distance away, due to their elevation.

Med-4 is the "hailing" channel, and is used to contact the control center and receive a channel assignment. A typical C-Med conversation runs something like this (for this example, we'll say you are close enough to the ambulance to receive their side clearly):

Ambulance on 463.075: Boston C-Med, Boston C-Med, this is Fallon Paramedic 104 with an ALS entry note for Brigham & Women's hospital, currently on 93 south of the city.

C-Med dispatcher on 463.075: Fallon, switch to Med-5 for Brigham & Women's.

C-Med dispatcher on 463.100: Brigham & Women's, this is C-Med, I have Fallon online with an entry note.

Hospital on 463.100: Go ahead, Fallon.

Ambulance on 468.100: Brigham & Women's, this is Fallon Paramedic 104, currently 11 minutes out from your facility with a 44 year old woman involved in a head on MVA...(Medics will give relevant details, such as vital signs, medications administered, chief complaint, etc)...any questions?

Hospital on 463.100: No questions, see you in 10 minutes in room 3.

The channel will then be released back to C-Med control. All traffic is prioritized based on the nature of the call, and can range from something as small as a BLS entry note, to as serious as a trauma case.

If you want to program Boston C-Med into your scanner, you'll only need to program the hospital frequencies  for Med-4 and Med-8. The other channels you will have to program the hospital and ambulance sides. Listen up to Med-4, and when you hear a call you are interested in, switch to the hospital side of the assigned channel, and once they acknowledge, try the ambulance side to see if you are in range.

The C-Med system also is used for medical control, for instance, if medics need a doctor's permission to administer drugs, or to stop CPR on a non-viable patient.

Corrections or contributions from EMT's, paramedics, or ER staff are more then welcome. Please post to the comments below (I'm sure I messed something up).

Fatal rollover crash on I-95 Southbound in Attleboro

Massachusetts State Police and Attleboro Fire responded to a rollover accident on I-95 southbound in the area of Exit 3 just after 1:00 AM Monday morning. A vehicle was found wrecked into the guardrail. Medflight and MSP accident reconstruction were requested to the scene due to at least one serious injury on scene, and two lanes were blocked. Boston Medflight was not available, due to weather conditions.

UPDATE 10:35AM: The Sun Chronicle reports the driver, a 34 year old Boston man, was killed in the accident.

UPDATE 08/08/2011: MSP has issued a press release identifying the driver:

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Nicholas Canavan indicates that a 1997 Honda Accord being operated by Jean Charles, 34, of Mattapan, was traveling southbound on Route 95 in Attleboro, between Exits 2 and 3, when the vehicle rolled over. Charles was transported by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Person stabbed on Bennington St in East Boston

Police responded to a report of a person stabbed on the Meridan St end of Bennington Street (near Central Square Park) just before 1:00 AM and found a man in his 30's with a stab wound to the stomach. The victim was transported to the hospital by EMS.

Man shot, killed at East Berkeley & Harrison Ave.

Boston Police responded early Saturday morning to the intersection of East Berkeley Street and Harrison Ave for a "shots fired" call. Once on scene, they located a man in his early 30's, suffering from a single gunshot wound. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Boston Police Homicide Unit is actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information is strongly encouraged to call the Homicide Unit at (617) 343-4470.

Two pedestrians struck in separate incidents in Manchester

Two pedestrians were stuck in unrelated accidents on Friday. The first happened at 4:19 in the afternoon. From the MPD press release:

On August 5, 2011 at 1619 hours, units from the Manchester Police Department, Manchester Fire Department and American Medical Response responded to the intersection of Elm St and Gas St for a report of a motor vehicle versus pedestrian crash with personal injury. The preliminary investigation reveals that Robert Schlickman 43 YOA from Hooksett, NH was operating his 2002 Chevy Corvette northerly on Elm St when his vehicle struck a pedestrian that was walking alongside the side walk on Elm St past the Red Barn Diner. Linda Hollinrake 54 YOA was transported to the Elliot Hospital in Manchester, NH for injuries sustained in the crash via American Medical Response. Hollinrake was treated and released for minor injury and Schlickman was uninjured in the crash.  Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash but speed has not yet been ruled out. The crash is being investigated by the Manchester Police Crash Investigation Unit. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Traffic Investigator Greg DiTullio at 668-8711 Ext 479.

A few hours later, another accident sent a pedestrian to the hospital in critical condition:

On August 5, 2011 at 2106 hours the Manchester Police Department, Manchester Fire Department and American Medical Response responded to the intersection of Hanover St and Beech St for a report of a motor vehicle versus pedestrian crash with personal injury. The preliminary investigation reveals that Kevin McGrath, 29 YOA of Auburn, NH was operating his 2001 Hyundai Elantra westerly on Hanover St when his vehicle struck a pedestrian that was walking northerly across the roadway. Derek Wright 29 YOA of Manchester, NH was transported to the Elliot Hospital in Manchester, NH for injuries sustained in the crash via American Medical Response. Wright remains at Elliot Hospital in critical condition with a serious head injury and McGrath was uninjured in the crash.  Alcohol and speed do not appear to be factors in the crash. The crash is being investigated by the Manchester Police Crash Investigation Unit. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Traffic Investigator Greg DiTullio at 668-8711 Ext 479. 

5 injured in rollover crash in Willimantic, CT

Rescuers responded to a bad accident this afternoon at Mountain Street and Hayden Street. At least one of the two cars involved in the crash had rolled over, and the fire department had to work to free victims from the vehicle. Ambulances from Mansfield and Columbia were called to the scene to assist in transporting the injured parties.

Reports of a car crash into the Metrowest Medical Center in Natick

Per the district mutual aid fire channel, the Emergency Room at the Metrowest Medical Center in Natick is diverting patients away due to a car crashing into the building. Additional reports state that one person is trapped in the crash, and that firefighters are working to extricate. The building inspector has reportedly been requested to the scene.

UPDATE 1:15 PM: The emergency room has been re-opened, a flatbed tow is en route to remove the vehicle.

2 alarm house fire in West Bridgewater

Just after 2:30 AM, West Bridgewater firefighters responded to a house fire at the intersection of Bryant Street and South Street. The fire appears to have started in the basement of the house and extended upward into the attic. Just after 3:00 AM, a second alarm was struck, and firefighters were forced to pull out of the house, putting water on it from the outside. Firefighters spent most of the night attempting to bring the fire under control. It is unknown if anyone was home at the time.

Motorcyclist killed in accident on Tobin Bridge

A motorcyclist was reportedly killed this evening in an accident on the Chelsea side of the ramp to the Tobin Bridge (Route 1 Northbound). The motorcyclist was thrown from the bike, and landed on 6th Street below the ramp. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

UPDATE: The Chelsea Police Department has issued a press release regarding the accident:

State Police Detectives assigned to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office along with the Chelsea Police are investigating an accident involving a motorcycle early Wednesday evening that left a 40 year old Chelsea resident dead. After receiving numerous 911 calls, Chelsea Police responded at 6:47 PM to the vicinity of 91 Sixth Street for a report of a motorcyclist that fell off the elevated section of Route 1 in the northbound direction. Upon arrival, officers were directed to a male victim lying in the street and a 2001 Triumph motorcycle nearby. The victim whose name is being withheld pending family notification was declared deceased at the scene. The investigation into the cause of the accident is on-going and is being led by the Massachusetts State Police.

UPDATE 08/08/2011: Massachusetts State Police have issued a press release identifying the driver as 40 year old Cory White, of Chelsea.

3 (alleged) car thieves caught in Randolph

After a car was stolen in Brockton late this morning, the owner took quick action, getting into another car and contacting Brockton PD while following the stolen vehicle. Brockton PD and State Police attempted to catch up with the vehicle, which traveled Northbound on Route 24 onto I-93, and got off at Exit 5A headed towards Randolph.
Before police could arrive on scene, the three people in the vehicle ditched it near the old Piccadilly Pub in Randolph and fled on foot. The vehicle's owner continued to follow the suspects. MSP, Brockton PD, and Randolph PD saturated the neighborhood and quickly took two suspects into custody on Royal St. The 3rd suspect fled through backyards on Emeline St, and a homeowner reported seeing him run through her yard on Pauline St. State Police K9 located the suspect in a Pauline St backyard and took him into custody.
MSP reports the suspect captured on Pauline St will additionally be charged with breaking & entering of a house.

Staties charge kids throwing rocks on highway

Four kids, aged 9-11, are being charged with throwing rocks from a bridge over I-290 in Worcester (the Kelly Square on-ramp) on Saturday. Several vehicles were damaged, and one driver gave chase to the suspects. Four boys were caught by the driver and Worcester PD, and the boys admitted throwing the rocks. From the press release:

Follow-up investigation by Trooper Daige identified several more victims for a total of twelve vehicles having sustained damage from the rocks thrown by these juveniles.  Trooper Daige also conducted follow-up interviews with the offenders and has determined the charges appropriate for this matter.  The charges against the four juveniles, all between the ages of 9 and 11, will be forthcoming later today.

Pedestrian struck on Quincy Shore Drive

An 83 year old man driving a Mercedes struck a pedestrian this morning when she stepped into Quincy Shore Drive near West Elm St this morning. The woman was transported by ambulance to Boston Medical Center with minor injuries.

11 injured in garbage truck crash in Newton

A garbage truck and a passenger van collided this morning at 116 Highland Ave (near the intersection with Lockwood Rd), sending 11 to the hospital and backing up traffic. One person was trapped in a vehicle when firefighters arrived, and the jaws of life were used to free the patient. A mass casualty incident was declared. Firefighters at the scene report that ambulances transported 9 patients to Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and two to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

One injured in Salem fire

Salem Fire Department began receiving calls for a building fire at 45 Ward Street just after 9:30 this morning. Upon arrival, firefighters observed smoke coming from the building. After making entry, they discovered a one-room fire, with one victim inside. The fire was quickly knocked down and the victim was brought out of the building and transferred to an ambulance. The victim's condition is unknown.