The Lynnway Auto Auction employee who was driving a car that suddenly accelerated and drove into a crowd of people on Wednesday, killing three, had a suspended driver's license.
The Lynnway Auto Auction employee who was driving a car that suddenly accelerated and drove into a crowd of people on Wednesday, killing three, had a suspended driver's license.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan on Wednesday said the employee was a man in his 70s. His name has not been released and officials are investigating whether he had a medical episode.
"We were informed by the police on Wednesday that the driver of the Jeep had a suspended license," reads a statement from Lynnway Auto Auction President Jim Lamb. "We were unaware of the change in status of the driver's license until the police told us after the accident."
The crash in Billerica killed three people and injured nine others.
Statement from Lynnway Auto Auction president about employee involved in deadly crash having suspended license #WBZ pic.twitter.com/VVhA3Pga0c
-- Ryan Kath (@ryankath) May 5, 2017
When the employee was hired in 2010, he had a valid Massachusett's drivers license, according to the statement from Lamb, which was released to multiple news outlets.
"As he had no issues while driving for Lynnway for the past seven years, we were surprised and upset to learn of this development," Lamb said. "We hold our drivers to a high standard. If a driver loses the ability to drive in Massachusetts for any reason, we would expect them to inform us and we would not allow them to drive on our property unless they hold a valid driver's license."
Leezandra Aponte, a 36-year-old mother of three from Lowell, was working a temporary job at the Billerica business to pay for her daughter's quinceanera when a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee drove through the crowd and into the wall on Wednesday morning.
She was killed, along with Brenda Lopez, 48, of Rhode Island, and Pantaleon Santos, 49, of Rhode Island.
Eight people - ranging in age from 33 years old to 55 - were treated and released from nearby hospitals following the crash. One victim - a 55-year-old man - remains in the hospital with serious injuries, the district attorney's office said.
Investigators believe the crash was accidental.
The Lynnway Auto Auction has been cited in the past for OSHA violations, including "serious" level violations three years ago.