A man suffered life-threatening injuries after crashing his car after allegedly fleeing a traffic stop in West Newbury, Massachusetts early Wednesday, authorities said.
The driver, a 38-year-old male from Peabody, was driving alone on Route 113 in West Newbury towards Groveland when he was spotted by a West Newbury police officer near 401 Main St. at 12:36 a.m. Wednesday, police said.
In addition to missing a front tire, the car had a headlight out, according to the West Newbury police department. The officer who spotted the vehicle turned on his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the driver, who refused to stop, authorities said.
Over a mile away, near 170 Main St., another officer saw a car with sparks flying out from underneath it. The front left rim of the car had fallen off, prompting it to strike a fence, before driving into the wrong side of the road and crashing into a tree, authorities said.
More local news
The driver was ultimately taken to a hospital in Boston via helicopter with what authorities called "serious injuries."
In addition to driving with a missing tire, the driver was operating with his registration suspended, authorities said.
NBC10 Boston and NECN have not independently confirmed the police account of the event.
The incident remains under investigation.