Tuesday Afternoon Single-Vehicle Fatality in Rehoboth

Bristol County District Attorney’s Office

Thomas M. Quinn III

District Attorney

Press Release
December 14, 2022

A 54-year-old Attleboro man died Tuesday afternoon in Rehoboth as a result of a single vehicle crash on Route 118.

The deceased has been identified as Steven Lacombe.

Rehoboth Police received a 911 call at around 3 pm from an employee at the Attleboro Rehoboth Building Supply store who stated that a van had rear-ended a parked flatbed truck across the street from his business.

When first responders arrived on scene, they located five injured victims, including the driver, all of whom were taken to an area hospital.  The sixth victim, Mr. Lacombe, who was seated in the rear passenger’s side seat, was declared deceased at the scene. 

During the initial preliminary investigation, it was learned that the occupants of the vehicle were all Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) patients who were being transported from their day care facility in Taunton to the group home they reside at in Attleboro.  The driver of the Toyota Sienna is a 67-year-old Providence, Rhode Island man who had been working for DMH as a livery driver for the past six years.

All of the injured individuals are expected to survive.

The preliminary investigation indicates the driver was travelling north on Route 118 in the vicinity of 44 Park Street.  For an unknown reason, the vehicle left the roadway and struck the back of a flatbed truck, which was parked and unoccupied off the roadway.  There was no initial evidence the driver applied his brakes prior to impact.

The crash is under active investigation by State Police detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office, Rehoboth Police and The Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section. No criminal charges have been filed at this time.

Contact:

Gregg Miliote

Director of Communications

774-292-9576