SWANSEA The Swansea man charged with operating under the influence after his pickup truck hit a Route 6 home is expected to be arraigned Monday, Oct. 26, in Fall River District Court, WPRI 12 reported in a story updated Sunday. In Fall River, the driver of a pickup that crashed into a Brayton Avenue home Saturday morning has not been publicly identified, WPRI reported Saturday night.
Between them, the two crashes on Oct. 24 sent four people to hospitals. Swansea police said the Route 6 home was found unsafe to occupy, and the Fall River firefighters union said the Brayton Avenue crash caused extensive structural damage that displaced everyone living in the building, in a statement the Fall River Reporter published.
Swansea: the charges and the court date
Douglas McLane, 45, of Swansea, was arrested on charges of operating under the influence, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and a marked lanes violation, Swansea police said in a release Saturday night. Police said his gray 2022 Toyota Tacoma left Route 6, also called Grand Army of the Republic Highway, at about 4:29 p.m. and struck the home's porch and foundation. No one was inside. Officers pulled him from the truck because they feared a gas leak, and the Swansea Ambulance Corps took him to Charlton Memorial Hospital for evaluation, police said. After an investigation, he was placed under arrest, according to the release.
At an arraignment, the charges are read in court and the defendant enters a plea. South Coast 360 News asked Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley on Saturday night for the court date and a copy of the arrest report, and the department had not answered by 5:15 p.m. Sunday. McLane is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Fall River: three taken to hospitals
The Fall River call came in just before 8 a.m. Saturday, the Fall River Reporter reported. Fall River EMS said one person was trapped under the truck and another inside it when crews reached Brayton Avenue. Firefighters needed about 30 to 40 minutes to free the person pinned beneath the truck. One person went to the trauma center at Rhode Island Hospital and two others to local hospitals, EMS said in an account NBC Boston published. The trapped resident's injuries appeared not to be life threatening and the driver was taken into custody at the scene, Fall River Police Lt. Matthew Mendes said, according to the Fall River Reporter.
Neither the Fall River Police Department nor Fall River EMS has announced charges or given an update on the three people taken to hospitals. South Coast 360 News asked both agencies for that information at 9:47 and 9:48 a.m. Sunday, and neither had answered by 5:15 p.m.
What the law and regulators say
Every Massachusetts auto policy must include property damage liability coverage, which pays for damage to other people's property that the insured driver is legally responsible for. For policies issued or renewed since July 1, 2025, the minimum is $30,000 for any one accident, under Chapter 90, Section 34O, of the General Laws. A driver who carries only the minimum has $30,000 of coverage for all the property damage from one crash.
On the homeowner's side, the Maryland Insurance Administration's consumer guide lists vehicle damage to a home among the perils a broad form homeowners policy generally covers, along with additional living expenses for people who cannot stay in a damaged home. A special form policy covers the building against all perils unless they are specifically excluded, the regulator's guide says.
For buildings near busy roads, the Storefront Safety Council, a group that tracks vehicle crashes into buildings, lists barriers or bollards, lower speed limits, traffic calming and better lighting and signs as ways to prevent them. Its crash database covers commercial and public buildings, not homes.
What the numbers show
Massachusetts had the lowest crash death rate per mile driven in the country in 2024, 0.59 deaths per 100 million miles driven against a national rate of 1.19, with 363 people killed, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which analyzes federal crash data. Nationally, 29% of drivers killed in crashes in 2024 had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher, the institute found, and its research estimates that keeping drivers at that level off the road could prevent 25% of crash deaths each year.
These are national and statewide figures, not findings about either crash. NBC Boston reported that the cause of the Brayton Avenue crash was unclear, and WPRI reported that it remains under investigation.
Earlier coverage
Police: Swansea man charged with OUI after pickup crashes into Route 6 home
Three people taken to hospitals after pickup crashes into Fall River home, EMS says
Occupant freed after vehicle crashes into Fall River home
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
The Swansea charges, time, vehicle and hospital come from the Swansea Police Department's release, re-read at 4:35 p.m. Oct. 25. The expected arraignment comes from WPRI 12's report, updated at 2:42 p.m. Oct. 25; the court has not posted it. Fall River EMS's account comes from NBC Boston's report, and Fall River police's account from the Fall River Reporter and WPRI 12, each credited where it appears. The crash figures come from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's 2024 Fatality Facts, posted June 2026, and the insurance minimum from the text of Chapter 90, Section 34O. A second editor reopened every source at 5:20 p.m. Oct. 25 and checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Not heard: the Swansea Police Department, asked at 10:25 p.m. Oct. 24, and the Fall River Police Department and Fall River EMS, asked at 9:47 and 9:48 a.m. Oct. 25.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (12)
- Swansea Police Department, "Swansea Police and Fire Departments Respond After Truck Crashes Into Home; Driver Arrested"Department release with Swansea Fire Department photos, posted Oct. 24, 2026, at 9:06 p.m. Name, age, charges, time, vehicle, hospital and the home's condition. Re-read Oct. 25; unchanged. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- WPRI 12: Man facing OUI charges after truck crashes into Route 6 homePosted 10:28 p.m. Oct. 24, 2026, updated 2:42 p.m. Oct. 25. The expected Monday arraignment in Fall River District Court. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- WPRI 12: Resident injured after car crashes into Fall River homePosted Oct. 24, 2026. Fall River police's account of the trapped resident's injuries and the driver taken into custody, whose identity had not been made public. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- NBC Boston: Truck slams into Fall River home, pinning person under vehicle; 2 others hurtPosted 1:24 a.m. Oct. 25, 2026. Carries Fall River EMS's account of the two people trapped, the 30 to 40 minute rescue and the three transports. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Fall River Reporter: Driver in custody, man rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, after truck crashes into Fall River homePosted Oct. 24, 2026, updated 12:58 p.m. The call time (just before 8 a.m.), Fall River Police Lt. Matthew Mendes's account of the injuries and the driver's custody, and the Fall River firefighters union's statement on the structural damage and the displaced occupants. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Fatality Facts 2024: State by statePosted June 2026. Massachusetts 2024 deaths (363) and death rate per 100 million miles (0.59, the lowest of any state). Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Fatality Facts 2024: AlcoholPosted June 2026. 29% of fatally injured drivers in 2024 had BACs at or above 0.08%; the 25% preventable estimate (Farmer, 2021). Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 90, Section 34OProperty damage liability insurance; the $30,000 minimum for policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025 (Acts of 2024, Chapter 275, Section 4). Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Maryland Insurance Administration, A Consumer Guide to Homeowners InsuranceHO-2 broad form perils, including vehicle damage and additional living expenses; HO-3 special form coverage of the building. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Storefront Safety Council, Frequently asked questionsPrevention strategies for vehicle crashes into buildings. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Storefront Safety Council, Crash statisticsThe council's data is limited to commercial or public buildings, transit stops, public areas and other non-residential structures. Read Oct. 25, 2026.
- Town of Swansea, Police Department staff directoryPolice Chief Mark Foley, the official we asked. Read Oct. 25, 2026.