State police investigating deadly wrong-way crash that closed down I-290 in Worcester

State police are investigating a deadly wrong-way crash that closed down parts of Interstate 290 in Worcester on Sunday night.

Troopers responding to a report of a single-car crash on the eastbound side of the highway near Burncoat Street at Exit 23 just before 9 p.m. learned of a wrong-way driver going west on the same side of the highway in the area of downtown Worcester, according to Massachusetts State Police.

The wrong-way vehicle, a 2015 Honda Accord, was tracked down in the area of Belmont Street at Exit 21. Minutes earlier, state police said the driver had been involved in a spin-out crash, causing their vehicle to get turned around in the wrong direction.

In a statement, state police said, “A preliminary investigation and reconstruction of this crash reveals that the Accord was eastbound on I-290 when the operator, for reasons still under investigation, lost control of the car and crashed into the concrete median barrier separating the eastbound and westbound sides in the vicinity of the Burncoat exit. The vehicle ended up facing the wrong direction, and the operator of the Honda subsequently began driving the wrong way, westbound on the eastbound side.”

The Accord then slammed head-on into a 2006 Toyota Highlander, state police said.

The operator of the Accord, a 31-year-old Marlboro man, was freed from the wreckage and pronounced dead at the scene. His name was not released.

The operator of the Highlander, a 24-year-old Worcester man, was taken by ambulance to UMass-Lakeside Medical Center in Worcester with non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash remains under investigation.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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