Valkisergio Costa Silva, a 44-year-old Barnstable man, was identified as the man killed in a multiple-vehicle crash ejection on Interstate 95 in Topsfield on Friday that led to one person’s arrest and the ongoing police pursuit of another, authorities said.
Following the fatal crash, law enforcement arrested David Guzman, 30, and they continue to search for another man who is believed to have been driving the car Guzman was in. The two men, both of whom are from Lynn, allegedly ran away from the scene of the collision after the crash, according to a statement from State Police.
The two men were traveling south on I-95 in a 2008 GMC Acadia SUV when, for reasons that are still being investigated, they allegedly decelerated “suddenly and rapidly” before coming to a stop near mile marker 71, State Police detailed in their statement.
Simultaneously, a 52-year-old Peabody man driving a 2007 Chevrolet Impala behind the Acadia started to brake to try to avoid hitting the stopped Acadia. However, as the Impala decelerated, it veered to its left toward the grass median and eventually collided with the 2006 Chevrolet Express Van that Costa Silva was riding passenger in, according to the statement.
The van, which was traveling in the leftmost of the four southbound lanes of the highway, started to slow down and move to its left in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid colliding with the Impala. The Impala then struck the van, causing the vehicle to leave the roadway, slide across the grass median and roll over one and a half times, ejecting Costa Silva and another passenger inside from the vehicle, the statement said.
Costa Silva died at the scene of the crash. The other passenger ejected from the van, a 30-year-old man, suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown by a medical helicopter to Boston Medical Center, according to State Police.
The van’s third passenger, a 53-year-old man, was driven by an ambulance to a hospital in the area with serious injuries. The driver of the vehicle, a 32-year-old Yarmouth man, was also taken by ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries, State Police said.
The driver of the Impala, which came to rest on the edge of the median, did not appear to suffer any injuries, according to the statement.
After the van and the Impala collided, the Acadia pulled over into the breakdown lane, and the two men inside, one of whom was later identified as Guzman, allegedly ran into the woods nearby, prompting an extensive search by numerous State Police patrol troopers, K-9 teams and an Air Wing helicopter crew, the statement said.
According to State Police, Guzman was located by troopers a short time later. He was arrested, charged with interfering with a police officer and booked. The Lynn man posted bail, and his court appearance is pending.
The second man inside the Acadia, who authorities believe was the person driving car at the time of the crash, was allegedly seen by witnesses running near the 17th and 18th holes at the golf course of a country club. State Police said he was last seen running toward the club’s parking lot and was described as wearing a gray T-shirt.
“He is still being sought,” State Police noted.
The fatal collision remains under investigation. Because of the rescue response and investigation of the crash, three southbound lanes and two northbound lanes of the highway had to be closed for different periods of time. The scene was cleared by around 7:40 p.m. Friday, according to the statement.
