December 27, 2018 -Springfield- On Wednesday, December 26, 2018 the Massachusetts State Police responded to a fatal motor vehicle crash in the eastbound lane of the Massachusetts Turnpike in the Town of Blandford.  

The crash appears to be the result of the motor vehicle crashing into the tractor trailer as the trailer moved into the active traffic lanes from an emergency vehicle turnaround.  

The victim of the crash, who was the driver of the motor vehicle, has been identified as Mr. Donald Payne, 61, of Shrewsbury. He was the only occupant in the car.

This is an open and active investigation currently being conducted by the Massachusetts State Police Crash Accident Reconstruction, Crime Scene Services, and Commercial Vehicle Services Sections, the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, the Hampden District Attorney’s Motor Vehicle Homicide Unit, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. No arrest has made at this time.   

Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni offers his sympathies to Mr. Payne’s family during this difficult time.