Officials release names of 2 other victims killed in auto auction crash
Officials have identified two other victims who were killed Wednesday morning by a speeding SUV at an auto auction in Billerica.
Brenda Lopez, 48, of Rhode Island, and Pantaleon Santos, 49, of Rhode Island, were pronounced dead at LynnWay Auto Auction on Wednesday, officials said.
The family of Leezandra Aponte, 36, of Lowell, identified the mother of three as one of the victims on Wednesday afternoon. Aponte was died at Lahey Hospital.
Eight people were taken to area hospitals, treated and released. One person, a 55-year-old man, remains hospitalized with serious injuries, according to the district attorney's office.
An auction employee in his 70s was behind the wheel of the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee when it apparently lurched out of control and mowed people down at LynnWay Auto Auction in Billerica on Wednesday morning.
On Thursday, the auto auction company said it will increase safety precautions at the facility.
"We will be installing barriers, or 'bollards,' to help keep vehicles from veering out of their intended lane. Sturdy, vertical posts, bollards are frequently used on highways to control road traffic and will provide additional protection for our patrons and everyone working at the auction," Lynnway Auto Auction President Jim Lamb said in a statement.
The auction also said it would add more first responders.
"I want to live my life to honor her memory," said Lopez's son, Richard Meza-Lopez.
Lopez was at the auction with her husband.
Orlando Aponte said it was the first day on the job for his sister.
"Her first day on the job, and this is what happens," he said.
State police investigators were working to reconstruct the accident, which happened while several hundred people were in the building.
"The preliminary investigation suggests this is a tragic accident," Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said.