'Dope-Sick' Driver Was On Phone With Drug Dealer At Time Of Fatal Crash, Police Say
BROCKTON (CBS) – A driver accused of causing a dump truck crash in Brockton that killed the mother of a police officer was on the phone with her drug dealer at the time of the crash and tried to buy heroin before she had to "deal with the cops," according to court records.
Danielle Mastro, 33, of Pembroke, is charged with motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of an accident. She was arraigned Wednesday in Brockton District Court and ordered held on $50,000 cash bail.
Investigators say Masto was driving her mother's Audi on Quincy Street Tuesday afternoon when she hit the back of a Chevrolet Equinox, pushing it into oncoming traffic.
A dump truck tried to avoid the Equinox but couldn't. They collided and the driver of the Equinox, 58-year-old Deborah Combra of Bridgewater, was killed. Whitman police said she is the mother of auxiliary officer Michael Combra.
The dump truck, loaded with 22 tons of dirt, landed on its side, just inches from a home. No one else was seriously hurt.
Police say Mastro walked away after the crash but was found moments later by officers and arrested.
Court records reveal that during Mastro's interview with police, she allegedly admitted to causing the crash because she was distracted.
"I was calling someone, I didn't pay attention to where I was going, and I rear-ended someone," court records show Mastro told police. "I think I was texting. But I called and texted pretty close together, so… it would be hard to say."
Mastro allegedly said she was on the phone with her drug dealer at the time of the crash.
Mastro also allegedly told police she had been drinking a "s--- ton of vodka" in the hours leading up to the crash, and said she walked away from the crash so she could meet her drug dealer to "get my (expletive) before I have to deal w/the cops"
Following the crash, Mastro's airbag deployed and hit her in the face.
According to court records, she told police that she didn't know how much damage was done to her mother's car.
"I didn't even look at it. I threw it in park and f------ ran," Mastro allegedly told police, adding that she planned to buy $50 of heroin.
About 15 minutes before the crash, a Hanson police officer tried to stop Mastro, but she fled. The officer did not want to give chase because school had just let out.
Whitman Police Chief Scott Benton released a statement following Combra's death.
"On behalf of the Whitman Police Department and the entire community of Whitman, I offer my sincere condolences to Officer Combra and his family during this extremely difficult time," Benton said.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karyn Regal reports
