ITEM PHOTO BY SPENSER HASAK
Crews are on scene after a car crashed through the guardrail at 40 Steps.
By GAYLA CAWLEY
NAHANT — A 19-year-old man sustained serious injuries after he crashed his car through the concrete retaining wall at 40 Steps and plummeted to the beachside Thursday night, according to police and fire officials.
Nahant Fire Chief Michael Feinberg said crews responded to the single-car crash through the concrete pillars and down the steep embankment around 5:15 p.m. The driver had to be extricated from the car with tools and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. He was the only person in the car.
The man has a broken arm and collapsed lung, according to Nahant police, but was later reported to be in stable condition.
Nahant Police had attempted to stop the car at approximately 5 p.m., as it was driving down the Causeway at a high rate of speed, but the effort was terminated for public safety reasons. Police continued to search the area for the vehicle without sirens or lights activated, and an officer later found a missing area of cabled guardrail that overlooks 40 Steps Beach, according to a statement from Nahant Police.
The officer then saw a car on its roof on the beach, police said.
Feinberg said the circumstances of the accident are under investigation. Nahant police requested the services of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and its Crime Scene Services Section, according to David Procopio, a spokesman for State Police.
Item reporter Bridget Turcotte contributed to this report. Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected].