Northampton firm disputes Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray's account of accident
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NORTHAMPTON - Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray said he accepts the state police's findings that he likely fell asleep at the wheel when he destroyed his car in a high-speed crash in November.
But at least two accident reconstruction firms don't buy that explanation, based on their own reviews of "black box" data from Murray's state vehicle.
Among them is the Accident Analysis Group of Northampton, which studied computer data from Murray's 2007 Ford Crown Victoria. The lieutenant governor wrecked the vehicle Nov. 2 after veering off Interstate 190 in Sterling while reaching speeds of more than 100 mph. The firm did so at the request of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, which obtained the data.
"I don't see evidence here of someone asleep," said analyst James Verhasselt, who reviewed the data and discussed it with the Gazette on Wednesday. "I don't see anything to support that theory."
Black boxes, or event data recorders, are installed in most vehicles, and are designed to record data in the seconds before a crash. According to analysts, the computer data showed that Murray's Crown Vic accelerated shortly before the crash.
Murray's own explanations of the cause of the crash have varied. Immediately following the 5:30 a.m. crash, in which he was unhurt even though police say he was not wearing a seat belt, Murray said he had been driving around the speed limit, was wearing a seat belt and may have lost control of his vehicle because of black ice. He said he had taken the early-morning drive to assess recent storm damage and to fetch a newspaper and coffee.
Such drives are not unusual for him, Murray noted in a press conference Tuesday. He also requested an alcohol breath test at the crash scene, which showed he was not under the influence of alcohol.
On Tuesday, Murray also said he was not texting, talking on the phone or emailing anyone at the time of the accident. News media requests for his cell phone records are pending, however.
State police reportedly did not retrieve the black box data from Murray's vehicle until Dec. 28, nearly two months after the accident, and released it at Murray's request this week as several news media outlets sought the information.
Besides concluding that Murray was not wearing a seat belt, a state police accident reconstruction report found that the lieutenant governor was traveling well over the speed limit when he struck a rocky ledge and veered off the road for several hundred feet before spinning and flipping over in snowy terrain.
What's puzzling to accident reconstruction experts like the Accident Analysis Group of Northampton is that someone who falls asleep at the wheel is not likely to be hitting the gas pedal with some force, which Murray's car data shows occurred twice in 10 seconds leading up to the crash, including the flooring of the gas pedal at around 95 mph about five seconds before impact.
"How can you fall asleep and willfully hit the gas pedal twice?" asked chief analyst David Pesuit.
Murray's response
As Murray put it Tuesday, "I understand that the vehicle accelerated significantly without braking and turning seconds before the accident, which the state police said is consistent with what happens when someone falls asleep at the wheel. I now believe that is what caused my accident."
"I believe, as I have said, I fell asleep," he added. "I accept the state police's findings."
The Accident Analysis Group is not the only firm to analyze the black box data and cast doubt on the theory that Murray fell asleep.
Bruce McNally, an accident reconstruction expert from McNally & Associates in New Hampshire, also reviewed the black box data on behalf of the Boston Herald and told that newspaper the evidence suggests Murray was not sleeping at the time he wrecked the Crown Victoria.
"Just a couple seconds before losing control, he floors it," McNally told the Herald in a story this week. "That's not typical of a driver who falls asleep. I don't think I've ever seen it occur. A typical driver who falls asleep, their foot would come off the pedal."
State police on Tuesday slapped Murray with a $555 ticket for speeding (108 mph in a 65-mph zone), not wearing a seat belt and a marked lanes violation. Murray, who was traveling alone, said he takes full responsibility for the crash, plans to pay the ticket and reimburse the commonwealth for the wrecked car.
"The speed is frightening to me," Murray said in response to a question from a reporter at Tuesday's press conference. "I recognize I should have been more careful."
Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com.
