A Newburyport man was arrested after allegedly striking a Massachusetts state trooper in a wrong-way crash on Route 1 in Peabody Sunday morning. The trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and the driver later faced charges including opera
A state trooper was taken to a local hospital after being struck in a wrong-way crash on Route 1 in Peabody early Sunday morning, moments after he spotted a driver traveling the wrong direction.
Just before 2 a.m., a trooper from the State Police’s Danvers Barracks saw a wrong-way vehicle traveling south in the northbound lane of Route 1 in Peabody, State Police said in a statement. The trooper “took immediate action” and notified fellow troopers.
Troopers then devised a plan to stop the wrong-way driver and protect the public by preventing other vehicles from entering the highway, police said. Minutes later, the driver hit one of the troopers in his marked cruiser, according to State Police.
Both the trooper and the driver were taken to a local hospital, police said. The trooper—whose identity has not been released—suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The driver, Lucas Gustavo Brajak DeAlmeida Benedetto, 41, was released later that day, State Police said.
Brajak DeAlmeida Benedetto faces charges that include operating under the influence of alcohol. negligent operation of a motor vehicle. and driving the wrong way on a state highway. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Peabody District Court. Police said it was not immediately clear if he had hired an attorney.
Sunday’s crash marks the second wrong-way incident on Route 1 this month involving a Massachusetts state trooper. On May 6, Trooper Kevin Trainor was struck head-on in Lynnfield by Hernan Marrero, 50, of Roslindale. Trainor, 30, and Marrero both died in the crash.
After Trainor’s death, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously approved an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2027 budget requiring new infrastructure and multi-sensory warning devices on roadways. The amendment calls for measures that would include directional striping, signage, and lane delineators.
If adopted into law. the Massachusetts Department of Transportation would “develop. implement. and maintain a comprehensive system to prevent the occurrence of wrong way driving on limited access roadways. ” according to the Senate. The department would also be responsible for creating a new detection system to alert wrong-way drivers. public safety agencies. and other motorists.
Peabody Massachusetts state trooper wrong-way driver Route 1 DUI Danvers Barracks Lucas Gustavo Brajak DeAlmeida Benedetto Peabody District Court
Wait so he was released later??
This is why I hate Route 1 at night. Wrong-way drivers are always either drunk or just completely out of it. Trooper got hit and they say non-life-threatening, thank god but still… wtf.
So they saw him going the wrong way and then the trooper got hit “moments after” spotting him, right? I don’t get how the cruiser is supposed to stop someone when they’re literally already coming at you. Also DUI charges… surprised he was even allowed back out same day.
They’re talking about multi-sensory warning devices and directional striping like that fixes everything, but if people are drunk they’re still gonna ignore signs. Maybe they need those rumble strips or like lights that flash at drivers, idk. And didn’t something similar happen with a trooper before? Feels like Route 1 is cursed or something.