Chilmark police are continuing to investigate a fatal moped accident on South Road that claimed the life of a 20-year-old woman and left a 20-year-old man with serious injuries on Saturday.
In an updated release late Tuesday night, Chilmark police identified the deceased woman as Hannah Malany Iozzo of West Brookfield. A 20-year-old male from Brookfield who operated the moped on which Ms. Malany Iozzo was a passenger has not been identified. The man was airlifted to a hospital in Rhode Island on the day of the accident.
No charges have been filed in connection to the incident.
“The facts and circumstances of the crash remain under investigation,” Chilmark police said in the release.
The collision occurred a few minutes before noon on Saturday when police were called to a curvy, narrow section of South Road near Stonegate Lane.
According to Tuesday’s slightly more detailed police statement, evidence at the scene and witness interviews indicated that a black 2016 Lexus RX 350 was traveling in the eastbound lane when a 2018 Genuine Venture moped traveling west veered over the double yellow lines, and collided with the Lexus on the front, driver-side of the vehicle.
“Both occupants of the moped were thrown to the side of the road,” the police statement said.
A press release Saturday confirmed that Ms. Malany Iozzo was transported to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, where she was declared deceased from injuries sustained in the collision. The 20-year-old male moped driver was flown from the Martha’s Vineyard Airport to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.H. Police described his injuries as “severe.”
Tri-town EMS provided emergency care at the scene. A state police trooper assisted Chilmark police, fire and EMS in the initial response.
The black Lexus was operated by a 79-year-old male from Edgartown, according to the police statement, and had a 77-year-old female passenger, also from Edgartown. Both vehicle passengers were uninjured.
Chilmark police confirmed in the statement that the moped was owned by Kings Rentals of MV LLC — an Oak Bluffs moped rental business.
During the initial response Saturday afternoon, South Road was closed off for nearly three hours from the mid-Island gas station in West Tisbury to Beetlebung Corner. Police redirected traffic to Middle Road, with South Road reopening around 2:50 p.m., after police and fire officials swept substanital debris from the roadway, using brooms, shovels and a fire hose.
The damaged moped and black Lexus SUV with damage to its driver side were towed from the scene. At least one other moped was near the accident scene, undamaged. Tuesday’s release did not provide further detail on the second moped.
Reached by phone on Wednesday, Chilmark police Sgt. Sean Slavin confirmed the presence of three mopeds on the scene. He said the mopeds were traveling together as part of the same party. Two of the mopeds were uninvolved in the accident, Sergeant Slavin said.
Accident forensic experts worked through the morning Sunday, closing South Road from Stonegate Lane to Quenames Road for accident reconstruction from about 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. Both Chilmark and state police were present at the scene.
State police spokesman David Procopio confirmed that Chilmark police are leading the investigation.
Sergeant Slavin said due to backlogs, the state police accident reconstruction report could take months to complete. He expected the Chilmark police report to conclude soon.
“We’re still gathering information,” Sergeant Slavin said.
The fatal accident occurred just south of a fatal 2014 moped accident near a dip on South Road, in which the operator lost control and veered into oncoming traffic.
That accident sparked a renewed movement to ban moped rentals on the Island, which later stalled in the state legislature.
An online obituary for Ms. Malany Iozzo states that she was a 2019 graduate of Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in Charlton, and was on a family vacation when the accident occurred.
“Hannah enjoyed cheerleading, running track, giraffes and the color purple,” the obituary said.
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