Skip to main content

‘So full of life’: Family members identify 13-year-old killed in alleged drunk driving crash in Pembroke

Image
By

Grief-stricken family members have identified a 13-year-old girl who died in a suspected drunken-driving crash in Pembroke on Sunday morning that left two other people injured.

Claire Zisserson was pronounced dead at Boston Children’s Hospital Sunday night, hours after the Subaru hatchback she was riding in on Route 139 was struck by a Hi-Way Safety Systems, Inc. truck driven by 31-year-old Gregory Goodsell, of Marshfield.

The driver of the hatchback, a 50-year woman, and a second 13-year-old were left seriously injured. The teen remains in the hospital at this time.

“She was a very happy person. Very full of life,” family friend Jake McPherson said. “Whenever I went over to her family’s house, whenever we went out, she was always giggling. Always laughing.”

Goodsell was ordered held without bail Monday in Plymouth District Court after pleading not guilty to charges including manslaughter while operating while under the influence, driving while under the influence of alcohol and causing serious injury, driving with an open container, negligent driving, failing to stop, improper passing, speeding and committing a marked lanes violation.

Goodsell was said to be slurring his speech when officers found him sitting on the ground with bloodshot eyes near the scene of the crash.

“I’m so (expletive) up. I know I shouldn’t have been driving,” Goodsell told officers, according to a police report that a prosecutor read in court. “I can’t believe I did this. I drank way too much. I’m so sorry.”

Goodsell allegedly admitted to officers that he was coming from a Christmas party at his manager’s home, where he drank an excessive amount of alcohol and used cocaine.

“Mr. Goodsell admitted to drinking several beers, drinking Jameson Whiskey, and using cocaine on the night prior to and into the early morning hours before the crash,” a prosecutor told the court.

A witness told police that Goodsell was “traveling at the speed of lightning” when he blew a red light and crashed his work-issued truck.

Prosecutors say police found a half-empty bottle of Jameson and an empty Budweiser can in the backseat of his truck.

Goodsell has a seven-page driving record that includes a slew of motor vehicle violations, including speeding citations, documents obtained by 7NEWS indicate.

The company Goodsell works for — Hi-Way Safety Systems — is a MassDOT contractor.

In a statement, MassDOT said, “We are saddened by this tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim. MassDOT is extremely disappointed to learn of the circumstances surrounding this incident.  We require that all of our contractors adhere to strict standards of safety and we are conducting a review into the status of Hi-Way Safety Systems Inc. with regard to active MassDOT contracts.”

Loved ones say Claire had a bright future ahead and will be missed by many.

“She was just a very fun person to be around and it’s really sad that someone so full of life isn’t full of life anymore,” McPherson said.

The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office is leading an investigation into the crash.

Goodsell is due back in court for a dangerousness hearing on Jan. 3.

A GoFundMe has been created to assist Zisserson’s family.

from Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
Source: https://ift.tt/2SHRSqL
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Virginia family gets keys to Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the US

By
(CNN) — One Virginia family received the keys to their new  3D-printed home  in time for Christmas. The home is Habitat for Humanity’s first 3D-printed home in the nation,  according to a Habitat news release. Janet V. Green, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg, told CNN it partnered with Alquist, a 3D printing company, earlier this year to begin the process. The 1,200-square-foot home has three bedrooms, two full baths and was built from concrete. The technology allowed the home to be built in just 12 hours, which saves about four weeks of construction time for a typical home. April Stringfield purchased the home through the  Habitat Homebuyer Program . She will move in with her 13-year-old son just in time for the holidays. “My son and I are so thankful,” Stringfield said in a  live feed streamed on Habitat’s Facebook  page. “I always wanted to be a homeowner. It’s like a dream come true.” To purchase the home, Stringfield logged hundreds of hours of
Post a Comment
Recent News

Lawsuit: High school football player says coaches forced him to eat pizza as punishment, violating religious beliefs

By
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio high school football player who says coaches forced him to eat a pizza covered with pepperoni grease in violation of his religious beliefs is suing his former district and the ousted coaches. The former Canton McKinley High School athlete and his parents filed a federal civil rights suit this week seeking millions of dollars in damages and alleging violations of his religious freedom and constitutional rights. The athlete says in the lawsuit that coaches were notified he doesn’t eat pork or pork residue as a member of the Hebrew Israelite religious faith, but that they ordered him to eat the pizza as punishment for missing an offseason workout — and indicated his spot on the team was at risk if he didn’t. The coaches say the player chose to remove pepperoni and eat the pizza rather than an alternative food. They weren’t aware it violated his religious beliefs, according to a  defamation case they filed  previously against the teen’s father, his attorney a
Post a Comment
Recent News

Bergeron, Pastrnak and Bruins finish off Capitals in 5 games

By
WASHINGTON (AP) — Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak dazzled on offense, Tuukka Rask was rock solid in net and the Boston Bruins are moving on to the second round of the playoffs. Bergeron scored twice at crucial times after Pastrnak’s  highlight-reel  goal, Rask made 40 saves and the Bruins eliminated the Washington Capitals in five games with a 3-1 victory Sunday night. Bergeron delivered the dagger with 7:35 left to set up a second-round showdown against either the Pittsburgh Penguins or New York Islanders. Chants of “TUUKK!” emanated from a large group of black and gold-clad Boston fans who were part of the limited-capacity sellout crowd of 5,333. Those were occasionally interrupted by “We want the Cup!” — the trophy the Bruins last won a decade ago after a 39-year title drought. They’re 12 wins away, thanks to their best players dominating in Game 5. Pastrnak made it look easy putting the puck behind his back and through his legs, assisted on Bergeron’s first goal and was par
Post a Comment
Recent News