Husband charged with motor vehicle manslaughter in wife’s death in Quincy car crash
QUINCY - A Quincy man was charged today with motor vehicle manslaughter by negligent operation for allegedly causing a crash that left his wife crushed to death underneath the wheels of the family’s Lincoln Continental and injured the couple’s adult son who was trapped between the car and a utility pole, crying for help.
Michael Rivard, 48, is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in Quincy District Court on three charges: motor vehicle manslaughter by negligent operation, operating a motor vehicle after his right to drive has been revoked and impeded operation of a motor vehicle, according to Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey’s office.
Authorities allege that Rivard is responsible for the crash that took place on Sea Street near the intersection with Wall Street that fatally injured Beatrice Rivard and the couple’s adult son, whose name has not been released but who has been described by neighbors as a disabled adult.
According to neighbors, the Rivards have lived in the blue house at 1173 Sea St. for several years. Residents said Michael Rivard, known to them as “Big Mike,’’ walked with a cane.
Rivard, according to neighbor Brandon Bergstrom, told police after the crash that he was riding in the front passenger seat of the older luxury car when it suddenly started rolling backward. Rivard told police he tried to stop the movement by using his cane to depress the brake pedal, Bergstrom said.
Neighbors also said that the car had major mechanical problems and it could only be started by manipulating some piece of equipment under the hood. Rivard, according to neighbors, was the person who started the car only after he raised the hood of the vehicle while his wife was the person they most often saw driving the vehicle.
Witnesses said the son was trapped between a utility pole and the car, and that for a while his leg was also trapped underneath the Lincoln Continental. They said they heard the son calling for help, saying he had a pain in his stomach area.
The son is hospitalized and being treated for his injuries.
According to neighbors, the son was in his 30s and was best known in the neighborhood as a person who exchanged pleasant greetings with neighbors as he walked the family dog.
The crash disrupted the morning routine in the Hough’s Neck neighborhood in this South Shore city.
Bergstrom is a mechanic who lives across the street from the Rivard home. When the crash happened around 7:45 a.m. today, Quincy firefighters discovered they needed a jack in order to life the heavy vehicle off Beatrice Rivard.
Bergstrom assisted.
“I jacked up the car,’’ said Bergstrom. “It was the worse thing that could happen to somebody. It was a gruesome sight.’’
Neighbor Michelle Whalen said she was driving her two children to school today when the distraught husband jumped in front of her car, pleading with her to call 911.
Whalen said she did call 911 and then looked over onto Sea Street where the incident happened. She said only a small portion of Beatrice Rivard’s body was visible, the rest was obscured by the car covering her.
Michael Rivard was overwhelmed by his grief, Whalen said.
“He was shocked. He was horrified. He was distraught,’’ said Whalen, who wiped tears from her eyes as she spoke today a few feet away from the crash scene near the victim’s home. “She wasn’t moving.’’
Whalen said she took her two children to school, but then went and brought them home because they were so shaken by the tragedy they witnessed today.
“It’s an awful thing to happen to that family,’’ Whalen said. “It’s sad. It’s horrible.’’
According to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Rivard has a six page driving history dating back to 1987. His license was revoked Sept. 28, 2011, after a series of crashes and traffic violations during a 60 day period that year.
Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com
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