Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Vineyard woman killed in two-car crash

VINEYARD HAVEN – A 20-year-old Vineyard Haven woman was killed last night and two others seriously injured in a two-car crash on County Road, according to police.

Brandy Marie Gibson, 20, was killed when her car struck a delivery van at 10:30 p.m. at the intersection of Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and County Road. Police said Gibson was pronounced dead at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, while two others – Francellyo Dias and Lessa Keila both of Vineyard Haven – were flown to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Police said that no one involved in the accident was wearing a seat belt.

A hospital spokeswoman said Dias is in critical condition, but there was no information available on Keila.A crash reconstruction team is conducting an investigation into the cause of the crash, but Oak Bluffs police officer James Morse said Gibson was driving her 1993 Oldsmobile east from Edgartown toward Vineyard Haven at the time of the crash.

Dias was driving a delivery van owned by Humphrey’s Inc. and attempting to turn left onto Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road from County Road.

The vehicles collided with enough impact to push the cars 50 feet from the point of impact, Morse said.

The speed of Gibson’s vehicle has yet to be determined, but Dias has been charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle after he was unable to produce a valid driver’s license at the scene, according to police.

Humphrey’s Inc. will also be cited for allowing an unlicensed operator to drive a motor vehicle.

Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues, Morse said.

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