MAYOR

Former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn Hits Building With His Car

Flynn sustained a concussion in the crash

Former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn was hospitalized after crashing his car into his neighbor's home in South Boston.

Flynn, 76, says he passed out while driving and sustained a concussion in the crash.

"Thank God nobody got hurt. After working out at the Boston Athletic Club for a couple of hours this morning, I drove home and while parking my car on my street, I got weak and completely passed out," Flynn said in a statement. "Minutes later I woke up, but my car unfortunately had crashed into another house on my street."

The former mayor thanked responders and current Mayor Marty Walsh for their help.

There was substantial damage to the home across the street from the former mayor's, and roommates Maggie Cole and Kelley Lynch need another place to stay because there could be structural damage to the building on Flint Place.

"I don't even know how he could be going that fast," said Cole. "It's a little alley."

"That's definitely not what I wanted to walk home to," said Lynch. "I'm hoping that everyone's OK."

Lynch added that the home's basement is a mess and that their "stuff is kind of ruined."

Flynn served as Boston's mayor from 1983 to 1993, when he was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. He also ran unsuccessfully for Massachusetts' 8th congressional district seat in 1998.

Neighbors are grateful Flynn is expected to be alright.

"I ran into him a couple of other times, and he said he was the former mayor of Boston. I was like 'Oh, you know, that’s cool. You're my neighbor,'" said Lynch. "He's just really nice, his wife is really nice. They always said, 'If you ever need anything, feel free to just knock on the door, let yourself in.'"

Lynch described him as a fatherly figure and recalls him telling her and her roommate not to go out alone late at night.

It's unclear what caused the crash.

Note: Mayor Walsh's office initially said Flynn was not injured.

1992 - Mobile Antenna Phone
FILE - AP
Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton talks on a cellular phone while meeting with Boston Mayor Ray Flynn in a New York hotel Thursday, Sept. 25, 1992. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Contact Us