Man, 81, pleaded not guilty in Gloucester crash that killed teen

An 81-year-old man was arraigned Tuesday in connection to a Gloucester car crash June 30 that killed a teenager, prosecutors said.

Laurence Hayes, of Reading, pleaded not guilty to all counts, including motor vehicle homicide by reckless operation and two civil driving infractions, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker said in a press release.

Hayes was released without having to pay bail, on conditions of home confinement with GPS monitoring and prohibition of driving, Tucker said. 

Hayes was allegedly driving his Honda the wrong way in a southbound lane on the A. Piatt Andrew Bridge on Route 128 at 1:30 a.m. when his vehicle hit a Toyota traveling southbound, the DA said. 

The impacted vehicle held four teenagers, who were all rushed to nearby hospitals. 

Christopher Dailey, a Gloucester native, died on July 4 from his injuries. Dailey was co-captain of the Gloucester High School hockey team and was set to begin college at Coastal Carolina University this fall, according to his obituary. 

The driver of the Toyota said she swerved into the right lane of the highway in an attempt to avoid the incoming Honda, but the Honda swerved the same way and the two vehicles collided, according to court documents. 

The Toyota was flipped over onto its roof when first responders arrived, records show.

Hayes, who was driving back from visiting his sister at an Alzheimer’s unit in Shrewsbury, allegedly used his cellphone shortly before the collision to answer a call from his wife, court documents said. 

Troopers who spoke to Hayes in the hospital July 2 after the crash said he “started to get visibly emotional and said, ‘I’m not innocent in this,’” court records show.

Hayes is scheduled to return to court Sept. 23 for a pretrial hearing, officials said.