DEVENS — Thirteen people were injured this morning after a flatbed truck crashed into a building at the Shriver Job Corps Center in Devens, including the driver, who was airlifted to a hospital.
The crash occurred just after 10:30 a.m. on Jackson Road, where the truck drove through a metal fence and slammed into the horseshoe-shaped building, knocking out several windows and coming to a stop inside the building’s lobby, WBZ News reported
“Luckily there were not a lot of students in the building at the time,” Devens Fire Chief Tim Kelly told reporters. “The injuries so far as we know were fairly minor.”
Photo Credit: CBS News Boston
Of the 13 people injured, six were taken to the hospital, while another six were treated on scene by medical staff at the Job Corps center. The truck driver sustained more serious injuries and was transported by medical helicopter.
Massachusetts State Police are investigating the crash, and said preliminary findings do not suggest the incident was intentional.
Kelly said the situation could have been far worse. “The greatest concern was that he hit the gas main leading into the building,” he said. “So the guys had to really work aggressively to get the gas under control.”
The Shriver Job Corps Center is one of three such centers in Massachusetts, providing vocational training and education for approximately 900 young people across the Commonwealth. The crash comes as the federal Job Corps program faces uncertainty; CBS News reported last month that the Trump administration is pursuing efforts to shut down the nationwide program.
No further details have been released about the identity of the driver or the cause of the crash. Police said the investigation is ongoing.
