John Hamilton, 82, and Paula Hamilton, 85, died from injuries sustained when a Honda Accord crossed the double yellow line on Walden Street and struck their Tesla Model 3 head-on Saturday, July 25, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office confirmed Tuesday, July 28.
The crash happened around 1 p.m. near Bristers Hill Road, close to the Concord-Carlisle High School street entrance. It occurred just over half a mile from the Hamiltons' home.
Five people were injured in the collision. The Hamiltons were airlifted to Lahey Hospital in Burlington, where they later died.
The couple had lived in Concord since 2012, when they purchased their home on Walden Street, across from the Concord Police station, according to The Concord Bridge.
Concord Police Capt. Brian Goldman told The Concord Bridge the Hamiltons were neighbors he knew personally, calling them "a nice family [who] always would wave or say hi."
Neighbor Jeffrey Ward told The Concord Bridge his family met the couple when they moved in and described them as friendly.
Investigation underway
The Middlesex District Attorney's Office, Concord Police, and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section are jointly investigating the crash, according to MassLive. Preliminary findings indicate the Honda's driver, a 25-year-old Wilmington man, crossed the double yellow line while traveling in the opposite direction.
Authorities have not publicly identified the Honda driver. He remained hospitalized as of Tuesday, July 28. No charges have been announced, and the investigation has no public timeline.
Two other passengers in the Hamiltons' Tesla, both 28 years old and from Tacoma, Washington, were also hospitalized. One has been released; the other remained in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries as of Tuesday.
Memorial at crash site
By Tuesday afternoon, a makeshift memorial had appeared near the scene: a ribbon tied to a pole bearing a handwritten message reading "Love, to all who suffer," alongside a sheaf of pussy willows. Remnants of yellow caution tape fluttered from a traffic sign across Walden Street.
