Furthermore, incredulity at his story is now eroding a bedrock necessity for any politician: credibility with the public - or at least a majority of would-be voters.
It’s a big hit for a 43-year-old elected official widely admired for his tenacity and common-man manner, and projected as a candidate to succeed Governor Deval Patrick.
During his first news conference on Nov. 2, Murray tried to project a light-hearted air as he smiled, spoke without notes, and expressed thanks for the interest in his well-being.
But he also outlined a story that raised eyebrows.
He said he awoke before dawn, went out in search of coffee and newspapers, and decided to drive - in the pitch black - to see the damage wrought by a freak Halloween snowstorm.
When asked why he could not get coffee or newspapers closer to home, or why he would try to examine storm damage from a highway, in total darkness, the former Worcester mayor got defensive.
“I drive around routinely. I think people in the city, people around Central Mass., people get constituent work from me at a lot of different times,’’ he replied.
Then, asked how far up Interstate 190 he traveled on his 30-mile roundtrip, Murray answered: “I probably turned around up around Route 2.’’
Finally, when asked if he was speeding, he replied, “No, as I said, I believe I was, you know, approximately the speed limit. I don’t know for sure. We’ll let the troopers do their job.’’
The State Police did their job, releasing an accident report and a separate cruiser crash report, since Murray’s car was a state-issued unmarked cruiser.
Both blamed the accident on black ice.
After the media clamored for data from the vehicle’s black box, the State Police changed their explanation.
They said Tuesday the accident was not caused by ice but, apparently, Murray falling asleep behind the wheel.
They said he was not going “approximately the speed limit,’’ but about 75 miles per hour and up to 108 miles per hour before impact.
