While Murray wore a Band-Aid on one hand, the lieutenant governor said he was otherwise uninjured. He credited his seat belt and air bags with preventing further injury.
“I’m OK; there was damage to the vehicle,’’ Murray said during a State House press conference about five hours after the crash. “People need to be careful, myself included.’’
The posted limit is 65 miles per hour at the crash scene, and State Police said there was no evidence that Murray was speeding.
“There was no evidence of any causation factor, other than the road condition,’’ said spokesman David Procopio. “All the evidence indicates the cause of the crash was ice on the roadway.’’
Sterling police said officers responded at 5:20 a.m. to a single-car crash on Interstate 190. Murray was heading south in the direction of his Worcester home, which was more than a dozen miles away when the accident occurred. He said he had already traveled north to the area of the intersection of Route 2, a 30 mile round trip, to survey storm damage.
Sterling Fire Chief David Hurlbut said a fire truck and EMT unit also responded, but Murray signed a form refusing treatment.
“I know it had a little more limelight because of who it was, but, to us, it was just an accident,’’ Hurlbut said.
State Police handled the investigation because they have jurisdiction on interstate highways.
Murray said he asked for a chemical breath test at the scene, cognizant of the potential for questions about alcohol or drug impairment, as well as possible favoritism by the troopers who responded.
“I blew that at zero, zero, zero,’’ Murray said. “There was no alcohol involved.’’
The test is not mentioned in the report, an omission Procopio attributed to the fact that Murray requested it, rather than troopers demanding it.
The spokesman confirmed the negative result.
