On Saturday night in Franklin, Massachusetts, a tragic accident killed a 5-year-old girl who was on her way to her brother’s birthday party. The driver who caused the accident, 21-year-old James Blanchard, is now being charged with murder by motor vehicle, driving while drunk, and other crimes.
The accident happened on Grove Street just before 6:30 p.m., according to the police. A Honda Accord carrying a family on their way to celebrate their son’s birthday was hit by Blanchard’s pickup truck because he was reportedly driving in the wrong lane of traffic. The girl, whose name has not been made public yet, was in the back of the family car with her brother and mother.
The 5-year-old girl was rushed to a nearby hospital after the accident, but she sadly died soon after getting there. However, her father, who was driving, was treated for injuries and sent home from the hospital. Her brother and mother are still in serious condition. The horrible events that night turned the family’s lives upside down in an instant and changed them forever.
Blanchard was nabbed at the scene and went to court on Tuesday in Wrentham District Court. At his arraignment, he pleaded not guilty to all charges, which included murder by motor vehicle, driving while impaired, and other charges connected to those. He was given $250,000 bail to stay in jail. Prosecutor Christopher Meade talked about how bad the crash was and said that Blanchard had been drinking before it happened because two bottles of vodka were found in his car. Reports say that one of the bottles was open, and Blanchard was seen drinking from it before the crash.
More tests showed that Blanchard’s blood alcohol level (BAC) was 0.189, which is more than twice the legal limit in Massachusetts, which is 0.08. The prosecution said that Blanchard’s carelessness behind the wheel hurt an innocent family very badly.
Besides charges of drunk driving and vehicular homicide, police are also looking into what happened before the crash by watching video footage from businesses along Grove Street. This tape could tell us a lot about Blanchard’s driving before the accident and show us if there were any signs that he was impaired.
The tragedy has shocked the whole town of Franklin. The girl’s death has cast a dark shadow over the town, and people are trying to figure out what happened. People from the area have banded together to help the family who lost their loved one in the crash. Their lives will never be the same.
Blanchard’s next court date is June 24, when he has a hearing before his trial. For now, the girl’s family, including her brother and mother, is still in the hospital, and people are holding out hope that they will get better.
This horrible event is a sad reminder of how dangerous drunk driving is and how it can hurt families and communities in ways that can’t be fixed. As the facts of what happened are still being worked out, the town of Franklin is saddened by the death of a young innocent life that was taken far too soon.
“This article was written by Mathew Owen. AI tools were used lightly for grammar and formatting, but the ideas, words, and edits are all mine.”
