1 killed, 6 injured in wrong-way interstate crash

TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) — Authorities said an elderly man driving the wrong way on a Massachusetts highway caused a fiery crash that killed him and injured six.

State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said the crash happened around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 495 in Taunton.

Procopio said the 84-year-old driver from Foxborough was headed south on the northbound side of the highway when his car struck two other cars, causing one of the vehicles to burst into flames. The man, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Occupants of the other cars were taken to area hospitals with injuries police later described as not life-threatening.

The northbound lanes were closed overnight but reopened to holiday traffic early Thursday.

Procopio said police haven't determined how the man ended up on the wrong side of the highway.

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This story has been corrected to show another car involved in the crash, not the elderly man's car, burst into flames.