February 4, 2010 – Rachel Dow, 37, from Edgartown, Massachusetts, has died as a result of serious personal injuries sustained when her 1988 Acura Legend slammed into a tree and then caught on fire. The accident occurred along Eastville Avenue, near the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, in Oak Bluffs at around 5:45 p.m. on Monday.
According to the Massachusetts State Police, Dow was exiting the parking lot of the hospital when she apparently suffered a medical emergency causing her foot to continue depressing the gas pedal. The Acura traveled across Eastville Avenue and entered the woods, where it collided with a tree. Witnesses claim that the wheels continued to spin after the car was stopped against the tree; this may have caused the car to ignite. The car driver’s side door was apparently pinned against the large cedar tree.
When rescue crews arrived, Dow was still in the vehicle and unresponsive and they were not able to extricate her from the car. Dow was taken to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The accident remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police.
Source: The Martha’s Vineyard Times