INVESTIGATION INTO FATAL AUGUST CRASH COMPLETE January 9, 2007 An intensive five-month investigation into a fatal crash on Route 93 South last August has led authorities to determine that criminal charges are not warranted in the case of an off-duty Boston Police officer whose 2006 Ford Explorer struck a disabled 1998 Toyota Camry as it was stalled in a travel lane, killing 29-year-old Michelle Vibert of Weymouth as she sat inside. State Troopers assigned to the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section of the Massachusetts State Police found that the primary cause of the Aug. 12 accident was the presence of Vibert's disabled vehicle in the rightmost travel lane when the Explorer's driver, THOMAS M. GRIFFIN, 27 (D.O.B. 5/14/79), of Boston, entered that lane. The section of the highway on which the accident took place does not have a breakdown lane. The accident reconstruction specialists further found that, while Griffin was driving at approximately 7 mph over the speed limit at the time of the crash, speed was not a contributing factor in the accident. Visibility, driver expectancy, and other variables may have prevented Griffin from perceiving Vibert's Camry as stationary and thus a hazard. Those findings corroborate the results of a separate and independent investigation by State Police detectives assigned to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, who developed no evidence to suggest that Griffin was intoxicated or negligent when he changed lanes from the middle to the right travel lane to take exit 12 off of the highway at about 2:20 a.m. Investigators found that while Griffin and his passengers had visited the Purple Shamrock, a Boston pub, earlier in the evening, Griffin himself did not drink any alcohol there. This conclusion was based on interviews with the staff of the Purple Shamrock, as well as other witnesses. State Police detectives also performed a thorough review of internal reports, Registry of Motor Vehicles documents, reports by hospital and Emergency Medical Services staff, and records of Griffin's cell phone use. Evidence suggests that Griffin did not see Vibert's Camry, which was parked with its right wheels on the fog line about 4.5' from the edge of the pavement and 8' from the guard rail, or did not realize it was disabled until it was too late to avoid hitting it. Griffin is believed to have attempted unsuccessfully to swerve around the car, striking it in the left rear with the right front of his Explorer, spinning it 180 degrees clockwise and mortally wounding her. The impact also flipped the Explorer onto its side, injuring Griffin and his two passengers. Airbags deployed in both vehicles. Only one individual - a passenger in the Explorer - was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Vibert succumbed to internal trauma and head injuries at Boston Medical Center at approximately 7:00 that morning. Griffin and his two passengers were treated for less serious injuries at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Massachusetts law does not mandate alcohol testing for drivers in motor vehicle accidents, but State Troopers assigned to the South Boston Barracks who responded to the scene did not observe Griffin to have slurred speech, glassy eyes, alcohol on his breath, or any other sign that he may have been intoxicated. An inventory of his vehicle turned up no containers of alcohol. The responding troopers were not initially aware that Griffin was an off-duty police officer. Return to the Press Releases page.