State Trooper Robert J. McDougall Killed in Truck Crash-August 7, 1971

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SHREWSBURY — A 25-year-old Massachusetts State Police trooper from Norwood was tragically killed late last night when he was struck by a flatbed trailer truck while speaking to a motorist in the breakdown lane on Route 20. Trooper Robert J. McDougall of 5 Baker St., Norwood, a young father of one child, was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Vincent’s Hospital after suffering a fatal fractured skull.

The catastrophic crash occurred at 10:10 p.m. According to reports from the Framingham Barracks, Trooper McDougall had parked his cruiser at a nearby gasoline station and signaled a motorist—identified as 17-year-old Michael Farrers of Grafton—over to the side of the road. As the trooper stood talking by the vehicle, a flatbed trailer truck driven by Arthur R. Gilbert, 32, of Portland, Maine, came down an incline, violently plowing into the car and striking the trooper. The car was dragged for approximately 50 feet, and Trooper McDougall’s body was recovered roughly 100 feet from the point of impact. State police noted that an unidentified dispatcher at headquarters first discovered the tragedy after noticing the cruiser’s radio remained open, having been in contact with the Grafton barracks only minutes prior.

Following the initial collision, the out-of-control truck smashed through a small house located 150 yards down the road, coming to a terrifying rest on the edge of a lake at the rear of the property with part of the trailer still embedded inside the structure. The occupants of the home, Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus A. Estes, sustained injuries alongside the teenage driver, Michael Farrers, and were treated at St. Vincent’s Hospital. Truck driver Arthur R. Gilbert suffered minor injuries, was treated and released, and was immediately arrested on a warrant charging him with driving so as to endanger, with arraignment scheduled in Worcester District Court. Funeral arrangements were announced under the direction of the Carroll and Thomas Funeral Home.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger