BERLIN – While charges related to a fatal December accident in Berlin have yet to be filed, the investigation appears to be coming to a close.
Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser said Saturday that blood testing had just been completed and she was waiting on a report from the investigating officer related to the Dec. 17 accident that left a 25-year-old man dead.
“I spoke with the investigating officer yesterday and we have finally received the results so that case will be referred to my office for review and charges, if appropriate, shortly,” Heiser said.
Heiser, who was a guest speaker at a town meeting hosted by Worcester County Commissioner Chip Bertino Saturday, shared the information after a citizen in attendance asked for an update, as even five months later little information has been released regarding the fatal accident. Initial reports from police revealed that a single-vehicle accident in the area of Route 589 near Beauchamp Road claimed the life of a 25-year-old man on Dec. 17. According to police an F-150 pickup truck crashed after the driver, a 30-year-old Worcester County man, lost control of the vehicle. The 25-year-old passenger was partially ejected and suffered fatal injuries. According to police reports, troopers on the scene observed significant sigs of impairment exhibited by the driver.
Heiser said Saturday the accident was still under investigation.
“I actually just spoke with the investigating officer yesterday,” she said. “The reason it’s taken so long is because we were waiting for blood testing results to come back.”
When asked if she was satisfied with the five-month wait, Heiser said she absolutely was not.
“But there’s nothing I can do,” she said. “They have three chemists or four chemists that do this type of testing that we needed to have done. There’s actually such a shortage at the state level for this testing now that they’ve actually received a grant to … get additional help from out of state because we are so strapped for qualified individuals to conduct the testing. I don’t relish the idea of having had to wait five months but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
