Local News

“We know him to be a fighter and one who stands up for the things he believes in. He has already defied the odds and continues to fight this very minute here in this hospital for his life.”

A Massachusetts State Police trooper is in critical condition after a car crash in Salt Lake City, Utah, last week, according to the State Police Association of Massachusetts.

Trooper Matthew McRae was a passenger in a ride-share vehicle involved in a serious crash on Friday morning, the organization said in a statement. Salt Lake City police said speed and alcohol were factors in the two-car collision, which happened around 1 a.m. 

Police arrested the driver who struck McRae’s ride-share, as well as a passenger who allegedly interfered with the investigation. Officials said the driver they arrested had suffered serious but nonlife-threatening injuries.

The ride-share driver also had minor injuries, and another passenger in the car was taken to the hospital with serious but nonlife-threatening injuries, local police said. 

A trooper with the state police Belchertown Barracks, McRae remains in the intensive care unit at the University of Utah Hospital. Though he is in critical condition, the State Police Association said his health is slowly improving.

“We would like to express our immense gratitude for the outpouring of love and support for Matthew and our family,” McRae’s family said in a statement shared by the troopers association. 

A GoFundMe page to raise money for McRae’s care and a potential medical transport flight had raised nearly $78,000 as of Monday afternoon. McRae, a state trooper of four years, suffered several broken bones in the crash, including a broken neck and a spinal injury, according to the GoFundMe. 

In their statement, his family members said they have “witnessed firsthand the fight and determination Matthew has within him.”

They added: “We know him to be a fighter and one who stands up for the things he believes in. He has already defied the odds and continues to fight this very minute here in this hospital for his life.”