Authorities have confirmed that a woman was working at her family’s farm stand in Massachusetts when she was fatally struck by a vehicle.
The crash at Sforza Family Farm in the Newbury village of Byfield happened at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday when the driver of a Honda CRV, for unknown reasons, accelerated rapidly in reverse and crashed into the checkout area of the farm stand.
Three people in the checkout area were struck by the vehicle.
On Sunday, the Essex District Attorney’s Office identified the woman who was killed as 47-year-old Susan Sforza Nico, of Seabrook, New Hampshire.
Authorities said a 57-year-old man and an 8-year-old girl were also struck by the vehicle. They were transported to separate area hospitals with serious injuries.
The conditions of the man and girl have stabilized, according to the district attorney’s office.
The SUV was being driven by a 70-year-old woman, who is cooperating with the investigation and has not been charged at this time.
“Of course, the driver is very, very distraught. Everybody is cooperating with the investigation. The driver is cooperating with the investigation,” Newbury police Chief John Lucey said Saturday. “The result of that investigation will hopefully yield some factual information about what happened here.”
On Sunday, trucks blocked the entrance to the Sforza Family Farm on Chute Road, which is where the nearby Byfield Greenhouse and Garden Center are also located.
A post on the Byfield Greenhouse Facebook page stated that the farm stand, greenhouse and garden center will be closed until further notice due to “a family tragedy.”
In addition to identifying the cause of the crash, Lucey said his primary concern is supporting the Sforza family.
The crash is being investigated by Newbury police and members of the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.
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