State Police: Investigation of Fatal Route 24 Rollover Suggests Victims Not Wearing Seat Belts

Troop H of the Massachusetts State Police and the department's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section are "investigating whether a tread failure on the right rear tire" may have caused the , which took the life of a 12-year-old Norton girl and injured two other Norton women, according to David Procopio, spokesperson for the MSP.

The crash, which involved a 2004 Chevrolet Colorado Avalanche, occurred at 4:43 p.m. on July 12 on Route 24 northbound, about a quarter-mile south of exit 20 (Route 139) on the Stoughton/Avon line.

"The investigation suggests that none of the victims were wearing seat belts," the MSP stated in a release.

Sandra Ouellette, 36, of Norton was driving the pickup truck and was transported by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with serious injuries, according to the MSP.

Her daughter, , was sitting in the front passenger's side seat. The MSP did not release her name, but the Norton Public Schools sent out a press release informing the Norton community of her tragic death. Pina was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Both Ouellette and Pina were ejected from the car and onto the roadway, according to the MSP.

The third victim, , 21, also of Norton, was transported by ambulance to Boston Medical Center. She was a rear-seat passenger, according to the MSP.

WCVB Channel 5 reports that Rogers was 8 months pregnant and the crash caused her to go into labor. .

"Preliminary investigation indicates that the Avalanche was travelling north in the left lane, and then moved into the center lane," according to a release from the MSP. "Evidence suggests that, about 100 feet south of mile marker 37.2, the right rear tire experienced a tread failure."

"The Avalanche then moved into the right lane, where the tread portion wrapped around the circumference of the tire came off the from the sidewalls of the tire, causing the vehicle to veer out of control," the MSP release states.

"Evidence suggests the Avalanche went through the breakdown and slid onto the dirt shoulder on the right side of the road. The right rear side of the vehicle then struck a guardrail, and the Avalanche moved back to the left, returned to the roadway, and rolled over onto its right side, evidence suggests."

"Evidence suggests the Avalanche rolled for a distance of greater than 150 feet and came to final rest on its left side," according to the release.

While the two front seat passengers were ejected, Rogers, the backseat passenger, "remained in the vehicle and was pulled from it by a Good Samaritan," according to the release.

"We extend our hearts to the family of the young girl who lost her life," Procopio wrote in an email statement. "Through a meticulous investigation, we will speak for her, and for the surviving victims, by providing answers about how and why this happened."