NIGHTMARE COMMUTE: Numerous crashes close major Mass. highways

State officials urged commuters to take it slow on the state’s roads Wednesday morning after numerous multi-vehicle crashes were reported due to icy conditions.

Freezing rain that moved through the area turned roads into skating rinks, and around 6:30 a.m. state and local officials began to receive reports of spinouts, crashes and overturned tractor-trailers.

Route 128 northbound north of I-93 in Wakefield was completely shut down after a crash involving 55 vehicles was reported.

No major injuries were reported, and the highway has since been reopened.

Earlier Wednesday MassDOT said the Leverett Connector northbound to I-93 north needed to be closed after crashes were reported there, but those crashes were removed from the scene and the connector was reopened.

Crashes were also reported along the Mass Pike, including a tractor-trailer that rolled over near Exit 11 in Millbury. Two lanes were closed in both directions after that crash while crews worked to clean up.

A section of Route 128 north in Newton was when least 20 vehicles were involved in two separate crashes. It’s unclear if injuries were reported in any of those crashes.

Dedham police warned drivers to slow down after a cruiser was hit by another vehicle while it was parked at the scene of a crash.

The officer, luckily, was not injured.

Drivers aren't the only ones being inconvenienced by the weather. Peter Pan Bus Lines canceled service on dozens of routes, including:

• Boston-New York
• New York-Boston
• Boston-Hartford via Worcester, Framingham
• Hartford-Boston via Worcester, Framingham
• Springfield-New York via Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Bridgeport
• New York-Springfield via Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Bridgeport

For a complete list of all cancelations and disruptions, click here.

“I’ve been on the job for 33 years, and I was looking back in my collective memory, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Newton police Lt. Bruce Apotheker said.

Apotheker said that in Newton alone, 55 crashes have been reported. Two school buses were also involved in crashes but no injuries were reported.

“Out of those 55 accidents, there’s been a few (people) transported to the hospital,” he said. “But we don’t believe there have been any serious injuries.

Motorists involved in crashes aren’t the only ones who have been injuries.

Officials with Brigham & Women’s said dozens of people have showed up at the hospital to be treated for injuries sustained when they slipped and fell.

State and local officials urged motorists to avoid the areas where crashes were reported if possible. If driving was necessary, commuters were asked to slow down and allow for extra time to reach final destinations.

Cox Media Group