Skip to Content
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Streetsblog Massachusetts home
Log In
Vision Zero

Cement Truck Driver Kills Man In Wheelchair In Boston’s South End

12:11 PM EDT on April 3, 2024

Several cars speed through a wide multi-lane intersection underneath a concrete highway viaduct. On the left edge of the photo are signs for I-90 and I-93. On the right edge, a woman crosses several lanes of traffic in a crosswalk.

Traveler Street at its intersection with the I-93 northbound frontage road in Boston’s South End. On the other side of the intersection is the Broadway viaduct that leads to South Boston.

On Tuesday morning, an as-yet-unidentified driver of a Boston Sand and Gravel cement truck drove over and killed Fernando R. Pizarro of Boston near the intersection of Traveler Street and the I-93 Northbound Frontage Road in South Boston.

According to Massachusetts State Police, the killing occurred around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, and Pizarro, aged 57, was declared dead at the scene.

After a preliminary investigation, police speculate that Mr. Pizarro was wheeling through the intersection of Traveler Street and Frontage Road just before the crash, and was located in front of the cement truck as traffic began to move.

Police have not identified the perpetrator, but described him as a 53-year-old Medford man. Police screened the suspect for drug or alcohol use, but allege that they found no evidence of impairment.

The investigation is ongoing.

Both the Frontage Road and Traveler Street have crosswalks at this intersection, but they traverse multiple lanes of traffic.

Frontage Road is five lanes wide, with a narrow refuge island in the middle, and Traveler Street has four vehicular lanes, plus a bike lane that is intermittently protected with flexible-post bollards.

Wheelchair-accessible ramps at the ends of both crosswalks are frequently blocked by vehicles attempting to make right turns at the red light.

According to the MassDOT IMPACT crash database, there have been at least 50 crashes at this intersection since the beginning of 2019, including 14 crashes that injured at least one victim.

The intersection is also part of the South Bay Harbor Trail route between the Seaport and Roxbury.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Massachusetts

Another Federal Funding Fumble: Boston Loses $8.15 Million for Safety Project At Deadly Fenway Intersection

A city official acknowledges that the area is "a high threat" to pedestrian safety, but after 6 years of design work, the city still doesn't have a shovel-ready plan.

April 2, 2026

Fair Share Funds Will Keep ValleyBike Growing In Western Mass.

A new "Microtransit and Last Mile Transit Grant" program, funded with $10 million in Fair Share revenues from last year's supplemental state budget, will help cover operations costs and potential expansion of the ValleyBike regional bikesharing network in Hampshire and Hampden Counties.

March 31, 2026

In Amherst, Delivering Public Transit Is An Extracurricular Activity

The bulk of UMass Transit's roughly 250-person operation is staffed by current UMass students and recently-minted alumni.

March 27, 2026

Wheels Start Turning For the Lower Broadway – Alford Street Transit Priority Corridor Project

Because it would connect multiple destinations where transit demand is high, the T's models predict that an extended Silver Line would serve more than 15,000 additional daily bus riders.

March 26, 2026
See all posts