Police and firefighters who who responded to the scene were initially unable to locate the operator of the car.
PALMER - A crashed Ford Taurus on West Ware Street without a driver in it prompted a response from Ware and Palmer police early Monday morning.
Palmer Police Sgt. Rodney A. North said Ware officers were the first to arrive in the Whiskey Hill area at the 2 a.m. call, as police initially thought the crash happened in that town.
They couldn't find the operator, and Ware firefighters and a Wilbraham K-9 unit were called to the scene to conduct a search, in case the driver was ejected; there was a substantial amount of blood inside the totaled 1998 Taurus, North said.
As public safety officials searched, a Ware police officer went to 7 Second Ave. in Ware, the home of Jacob Chaffee, 17, the car's registered owner. They found Chaffee there and he was brought to Baystate Mary Lane Hospital for treatment, North said.
Chaffee was charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle, marked lanes violation, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. He also was cited for not wearing a seatbelt, and for a junior operator license violation (hours restriction).
North said Chaffee failed to negotiate a curve in the road and flipped the car over, striking several trees as it went down an embankment.