Mass. woman recalls moments she tried to save child killed in alleged drunk driving crash

A health care worker says she witnessed the Franklin, Massachusetts, crash that took the life of a 5-year-old girl, and later tried to render aid to the victim before she succumbed to her injuries. Julie Blaney was just behind the two-car crash on Grove Street in Franklin Saturday evening and rushed over to the car. Blaney said she found a father, Atulkumar Patel, screaming for his son, who was badly injured.The wife, Minaben Patel, was also seriously hurt, and their five-year-old daughter was limp in the backseat.Blaney said she held the little girl in her arms and tried to do what she could to help and comfort the family."She was moaning. So we just tried to support her, hold her, just holding her and trying to support her as best we could," Blaney said. "Meanwhile, crews were working on her brother and her mother, who were trapped in the car. And they were trapped for quite a while. It was a long entrapment."Blaney was thankful to be there just to comfort the family. "I took her in my lap and I held her in my lap until other rescuers came and I basically held her in my lap until they took her to the helicopter," Blaney said. "I'm glad I was there. I hope I supported you in some way. My prayers will always be with you. I will never forget your child's face. I'm just so sorry for the loss. It's a big loss."According to a police report, the Patel family was out celebrating their son’s 14th birthday and were headed to Blackstone when Atulkumar said he "saw a truck driving in his lane. He tried to avoid being hit by the truck by turning left into the opposite lane of travel, but they ended up colliding anyway." Investigators say James Blanchard, 21, was driving the pickup truck, which crossed the center line and slammed into the Patel family's car.Police say Blanchard had been drinking and had a blood alcohol level of .189. A level of .08 is the legal limit in Massachusetts.Blanchard is now facing several charges, including motor vehicle homicide while driving under the influence and driving a vehicle with an open container of alcohol.Blanchard is due back in court next month.