Vehicular Homicide Case Against MASS MoCA Director Still On

A vehicular homicide case against the director of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art will continue, a judge ruled.

Joseph Thompson, 61, was charged in connection with the July 2018 crash that killed motorcyclist Steven Fortier. Fortier and Thompson collided in North Adams while traveling in opposite directions, police said.

Fortier was brought to the North Adams Campus of Berkshire Medical Center where he died. Thompson and a passenger did not suffer serious injuries

A judge denied a motion for dismissal filed by Thompson’s lawyer, Timothy Shugrue, the Berkshire Eagle reported Monday. Shugrue argued there was not enough probable cause to warrant the charges against Thompson.

Thompson has told police he veered into the opposite lane in an effort to avoid the collision. Prosecutors say physical evidence, including the position of Fortier’s body, supports the state’s theory that Thompson’s vehicle was traveling in the wrong lane before the crash.

The trial is scheduled to begin in May.