Identification for two who died in Route 2 collision on Wednesday

ATHOL — According to a press release from the office of Northwestern idstrict Attorney David E. Sullivan, authorities have identified the two drivers who died Wednesday in a head-on crash on Route 2 in Athol as Thomas G. Prescott, 67, of Leominster and Eric P. Shaw, 46, of Maynard.

Prescott was killed after his vehicle, traveling eastbound on Route 2 while he was returning home from a family gathering in Vermont, was hit head-on by a car traveling westbound being driven by Shaw. The crash occurred at the 72.2 mile marker on Route 2 at 7:48 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

Prescott was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Shaw died later at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. The crash shut down Route 2 to traffic for about two hours.

The crash remains under investigation by State Police attached to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, investigators with the State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and Athol Police.

The Office of the Chief Medical Officer will determine the official causes of death for both men.