At least three people have died and 12 are injured after a car (pictured) crashed through a Massachusetts auto auction building Wednesday morning. The crash occurred at LynnWay Auto Auction in Billerica.
At least three people have died and 12 injured after a vehicle crashed through a Massachusetts auto auction building Wednesday morning, according to local reports.
Auction employee Woody Tuttle told WCVB that he heard tires ‘screeching’ when the ‘Jeep Cherokee went flying by me’. Tuttle said he then saw the vehicle strike several people.
Tuttle said the driver ‘avoided the cars and went on to hit the people who were standing between the cars’.
But police don’t believe the incident was ‘intentional’.
‘At this point, there is no evidence or information to suggest the incident was caused by an intentional or terrorist act, ‘ Massachusetts State Police said in a press release .
‘All evidence and information at this time suggests an accidental cause, ‘ police added.
The crash occurred around 10am at LynnWay Auto Auction in Billerica, about 20 miles northwest of Boston, according to the station.
Cars were lined up on the auction block when the jeep suddenly accelerated and hit people standing inside the auction before crashing into the building, a witness said.
Images from TV helicopters showed a vehicle covered in debris that appears to have crashed through an exterior wall from inside the building.
Several ambulances were on the scene, and medics wheeled people out of the building on gurneys.
Randy Miller, who was attending the auction said it appeared the vehicle was traveling about 40mph.
He told WCVB that he and others at the auction ‘heard a bang or an explosion’.
‘It was almost like a bomb. The whole place just went silent, ‘ Miller said. ‘There were people just lying on the ground — a horrific, crazy, tragic situation.’
Lahey Hospital and Medical Center says it is treating six injured people, and Lowell General Hospital says it has three others.
Lynnway Auto Auction said in a statement on Facebook: ‘We are very saddened by today’s events at the auction. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the individuals and families affected.’
Police said there were multiple victims but authorities have not confirmed the number of fatalities. At least 12 ambulances were called to the scene. The building has since been evacuated.
The investigation by Billerica and State Police is ongoing.
