NEWBURYPORT — Merrimac Street near Plummer Avenue was closed for more than an hour Monday morning at around 8:45 as firefighters meticulously sawed through a car door to free a trapped motorist.
Minutes earlier, the motorist’s white Nissan sedan crashed into a much larger black GMC SUV. Both drivers were transported to an area hospital.
The driver of the Nissan was strapped to a gurney, fitted with a neck brace and appeared in serious pain as she was carefully placed in an Atlantic ambulance. The driver of the SUV, also on a gurney, was sitting up and holding her young daughter as they were placed in another ambulance.
The crash remains under investigation by local police but one possible scenario they are checking out is that the driver of the SUV had pulled onto Merrimac Street after dropping off her child at the corner day care center and collided with the Nissan that had just been on Plummer Avenue.
Neighbors watching firefighters and others respond to the crash said there have been many close calls at the corner of Merrimac and Plummer after the city installed bump-outs on Plummer Avenue in an effort to reduce speeds there.
Newburyport Department of Public Services Director Wayne Amaral quickly shot down the idea that bump-outs there were leading to many near-crashes there.
“Absolutely not,” Amaral said. “This a traffic-calming tool used for over 20 years.”
Newburyport Chief of Staff Andrew Levine said the bump-outs were installed last summer as the city repaved and raised sidewalks on Plummer Avenue.
Speed has long been a major concern on that part of Merrimac Street and beyond, according to neighbor Kristen Hunter. Hunter said she and others have been “begging” city officials to do more to crack down on speeders and install traffic-calming devices to reduce speeds.
“Nobody wants to see this happen,” Hunter said. “It’s very concerning.”
Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.