RINDGE — A two-vehicle crash Wednesday night killed a 52-year-old Massachusetts man and seriously injured another driver.
Richard Pezzolesi of Winchendon, Massachusetts, was pronounced dead at the scene after his gray 2018 Ford Fiesta collided head-on with a gray 2023 Jeep Compass on U.S. Route 119 at 9:16 p.m.
The Jeep’s driver, Robert Adams, 24, of Ashburnham, Massachusetts, suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transported by ground ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Police said Pezzolesi was traveling westbound on Route 119 when he attempted to turn onto Old Ashburnham Road and drove into the path of Adams’ eastbound vehicle.
The vehicles collided head-on and rolled together more than 100 feet before coming to rest on the eastbound shoulder, with the Jeep stacked on top of the Ford.
A fire broke out after the crash but was extinguished by Rindge police with assistance from a good Samaritan.
A third vehicle driven by James Bertram, 47, of Rindge, drove through the debris field and sustained undercarriage damage that rendered it inoperable, but no injuries were reported.
Police said a fourth vehicle also drove through the debris field but did not stop at the scene.
Route 119 was closed for approximately four hours.
The crash remains under investigation by the Rindge Police Department.
