Family, friends and the Foxborough community are mourning the loss of a 58-year-old man who died in a multi-car crash in North Attleborough earlier this week.
“On behalf of the Ricketts Family, thank you for your support as they grieve the tremendous loss of a loving and devoted husband and dad,” a GoFundMe organized in Randall Ricketts’ name reads.
The 58-year-old Foxborough man was killed in a serious, head-on crash on Interstate 95 in North Attleborough Monday evening, Aug. 27, Massachusetts State Police reported.
Investigators believe that a 2006 Buick LaCrosse was going south on I-95 when it collided with a late-model Cadillac Escalade driven by a 61-year-old man from Providence, Rhode Island, State Police said.
The driver of the Cadillac then lost control of his vehicle and entered the median of the highway, hitting a 2015 Jaguar XJ driven by Ricketts, police said.
The Foxborough man was brought to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro with significant injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office stated.
The SUV driver was brought to Rhode Island Hospital with significant injuries and was in critical condition as of Tuesday morning, the district attorney said. Two other people who were in the SUV were also brought to the same hospital and were in stable condition, the office stated.
The driver of the Buick, Joseph Pompei, 50, of Cranston, Rhode Island, was arrested and held in jail in lieu of posting bail after he was accused of causing, then fleeing, the scene of a head-on collision, according to a clerk from Attleboro District Court.
Pompei was charged with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury, the office said.
Law enforcement believes Pompei fled the scene following the crash. He was found by troopers with the grey sedan a short distance from the crash scene, the district attorney said.
Pompei was arraigned in Attleboro District Court on Tuesday, and was committed to Bristol County Jail and House of Corrections in lieu of a $50,000 cash bail with a $500,000 bond, according to the court clerk. Pompei has a probable cause hearing scheduled for Oct. 5, the clerk stated.
The incident is being actively investigated by State Police and its detective unit assigned to the district attorney’s offices, along with the State Police CARS Unit, the district attorney said.
“Daniela, Sebastian, Benjamin, and Charlotte need our unconditional support in navigating through this immensely difficult time,” the GoFundMe campaign reads. “We’re establishing this fund to help with educational and other future expenses the family will incur as they move forward.”
The campaign raised more than $46,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Thursday afternoon. People interested in donating can click here.
