by Dartmouth Police Look Into Fatal Crash on Gulf Road
Dartmouth – On Friday, January 5, a tragic single-vehicle collision happened in Dartmouth at the intersection of Gulf Road and Smith Neck Road. Following reports of the accident, emergency personnel, including Dartmouth Police, hurried to the scene at 10:35 p.m.
When police arrived, they found a male and female lying unconscious on the roadside in a severely damaged 2022 Honda Accord. After receiving emergency care at the scene, both patients were taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford.
Regretfully, the man—who was identified as New Bedford resident Jacob Pothier, 18—was declared dead at the hospital. The woman, a 44-year-old Dartmouth resident named Kathleen Martins, was seriously injured and is presently under guard.
The Massachusetts State Police, Dartmouth Police Department detectives, and the Crash Reconstruction Unit of the Dartmouth Police Department are assisting in investigating the incident. Authorities are asking anyone with information who saw the white 2022 Honda Accord traveling through the town to come forward and land on the west side of the Padanaram bridge before the crash.
Please call Detective Kyle Costa at 508-910-1755 or Officer Brian Parent at 508-910-1790 if you have any pertinent information about the incident.
The community was shocked to learn that Jacob Pothier, a senior at Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech, had died tragically in the collision. Michael Watson, the superintendent-director, offered his condolences and stressed the importance of getting help during this trying time. Students impacted by the tragic loss will have access to mental health and crisis intervention teams for support.
A GoFundMe page has been established to assist Jacob Pothier’s bereaved family with burial and memorial costs. The fundraiser has already raised more than $34,000, even though Jacob had only celebrated his 18th birthday two weeks before the incident.
Authorities are keen to learn the details surrounding this tragic incident, and the investigation into the deadly crash is still underway.
