Massachusetts community mourns deaths of mother, daughter struck by alleged drunk driver
Carrying a heavy heart Kung Patel stood up from his wheelchair with a candle and rose in hand and then paused alongside dozens of supporters at the site where the boy and his father suffered immeasurable pain Just days prior Kung turned years old and his family had been en passage from their Franklin home to pick up a cake in Blackstone to celebrate his birthday And then everything changed An alleged drunk driver plowed into their bicycle head-on causing fatal injuries to Kung s -year-old sister Krisha and -year-old mother Minaben Patel Krisha died shortly after the devastating crash on May and Minaben died earlier this week Family friends and society members came together Thursday evening at the site of the crash in front of Franklin dentist s office fitness center and day spa to grieve sing pray and place flowers at a memorial that has grown in Minaben and Krisha s memory The pain is raw Franklin resident Kiran Kumar Patel grew close with the family living nearby over the years The crash brought him to tears when he learned about it he recounted We noted Why God You did this to such a nice innocent family Kumar Patel stated This is not the time to take away two family members Emergency Responders rushed Minaben Patel her son Kung and husband Atulkumar from the scene to UMass Memorial Health Center in Worcester for recovery A physiological flight flew Krisha to an area hospital Kung suffered broken bones and damage to internal organs Atulkumar Patel subsequently disclosed from the healthcare center stated a responding officer at the scene that the family had been en track to Blackstone for his son s birthday celebration when suspect James Blanchard of Franklin plowed into them in a pickup truck When I saw the news I was pained North Attleboro resident Saeed Ahmed noted I have a -year-old daughter It really touched me I can t imagine how the family is keeping up with this I came here with my friends to show solidarity Blanchard allegedly described police that he drank two beers while at a landscaping job that afternoon before he opened a -liter bottle of Tito s Vodka and began drinking straight out of it on his way home from Plainville according to an matter statement The results of a breath test taken at the scene established the man s blood alcohol content at more than double the legal limit of according to the happening overview Blanchard is being held on cash bail on a slew of charges that include motor bicycle homicide while driving negligently and under the influence of alcohol A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf during an arraignment at Wrentham District Court last week It fractured us it s terrible Franklin resident Nancy Dowd explained of when she learned about the crash We didn t know them but we re all one family in the world Fellow resident Frank Falvey added There s totally a spirit drawing me here to share the grief and the sorrow of what happened and why it happened Why did this have to happen Susan D Amelio pays her respects at a roadside memorial on Grove Street Friday in Franklin before a vigil for crash casualties Minaben Atulkumar Patel and her daughter Krisha Atulkumar Patel The mother and daughter were killed when an alleged drunk driver collided with their car on May Mark Stockwell Boston Herald
