Massachusetts

Charges Dropped Against Woman Accused of Killing Tow Truck Driver in Crash

Charges have been dropped against a Massachusetts woman who had been accused of driving under the influence in connection with a crash that killed a tow truck driver on Interstate 495 in March.

Twenty-eight-year-old Shiina Dionne had been charged with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence and negligent operation.

The March 14 crash in Andover claimed the life of 41-year-old North Andover resident Daniel Coady Jr.

The charges against the Lawrence resident were dropped Wednesday by Essex County prosecutors in Lawrence District Court after drug and alcohol tests came back negative.

Radio transmissions from Massachusetts State Police from that evening also indicated there was black ice on the road, and a state police crash reconstruction analysis "did not show any extreme driving conduct" by Dionne, according to the district attorney's office.

Investigators previously said Coady, who worked for Coady's Towing in Lawrence, was loading a vehicle onto his tow truck when Dionne's vehicle hit another unoccupied vehicle that was also in the breakdown lane. The impact of the crash resulted in Dionne's vehicle hitting the tow truck and Coady as he was standing beside his tow truck, police said.

Dionne, who was injured in the crash, was arraigned on the earlier charges from her hospital bed at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

State police said Wednesday that their investigation is ongoing.

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