MacDougall

The State Police Association of Massachusetts

In memory of the Massachusetts State Police Officers who gave their lives in service to the Commonwealth

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August 6, 1971

On August 6^th, 1971, at 2214 hrs., a civilian voice came over the State Police radio advising there had been a bad accident on Rte. 20 in Shrewsbury and he believed that the trooper was dead. When officers arrived, Trooper MacDougall was found lying on his back in the yard of the Estes gas station approximately 18 feet off the Eastbound lane of Route 20. He was unconscious and severely injured, suffering from numerous broken bones and a skull fracture, resulting in the heavy loss of blood. He was not breathing and no pulse could be obtained. He was rushed from the scene via ambulance.

Investigation revealed that Trooper MacDougall was parked well off the Eastbound shoulder of Rte. 20 at a 45 degree angle in the driveway of 78 Hartford Turnpike, observing the flow of traffic. A local Shrewsbury Police Officer, Officer Skoglund, had conversation with Trooper MacDougall and advised he was looking for a 1963 Chevrolet convertible wanted in an assault and battery investigation. A short time later, Trooper MacDougall observed a vehicle matching this description approach his position and motioned the car to pull over. He approached the vehicle to obtain the operator information and stood at the drivers door of the car.

A tractor trailer traveling East on Rte. 20 collided with the rear of the car Trooper MacDougall had stopped. The operator of the vehicle was thrown from the car and then dragged by his own vehicle for 50 feet. Trooper MacDougall was struck and dragged under the TT unit for approximately 90 feet. The truck continued across the gas stations yard, crashing into the Estes’s home, went through the house and came to rest hanging out the other side. The homeowners were narrowly missed as they slept inside.

Trooper MacDougall was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Vincent’s Hospital due to a severe skull fracture. He was a member of the 50^th Recruit Training Troop, graduating on May 4^th 1968. His son, Timothy MacDougall, was sworn as a State Trooper on October 14^th, 1993, a graduate of the 71^st Recruit Training Troop.

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