Cambridge police: Man sustains brain injury after car drags him

A Medford man sustained serious brain injury after he reportedly tried to hold onto a motor vehicle before being flung from the car, according to police reports.

Police on patrol reportedly saw an MIT ambulance treating a man lying in the middle of the intersection of Hampshire and Prospect streets at around 2:17 a.m. on April 6. A 25-year-old witness from Somerville reportedly told police he was in traffic behind a white car, described as a hybrid style sedan when he saw what appeared to be two men arguing inside the car.

The witness reportedly heard one of the parties say, Give me the 20 dollars, and then saw a man exit the car. The man, later identified as a 36-year-old from Medford, reportedly began to walk away, but turned around and tried to get back into the car.

The man reportedly grabbed onto the car door as it pulled away, increasing its speed as he held on, running beside it. The car reportedly accelerated dramatically and veered left, forcing the man to let go. The witness told police the car flipped him around, and then he fell on his head.

The driver reportedly continued to drive towards Somerville without stopping.

When officers spoke with the man at the hospital, he reportedly made several minor mistakes in his identification details and struggled to string together thoughts.

A nurse found a large spongy lump on the back of his head, a potentially threatening head injury. Physicians said he suffered a fracture to the left side of his skull. Blood was pooling inside, causing pressure inside of his skull and ear canal.

The man told police he didnt have any recollection of the evening and reportedly became very frustrated that he could not recall any facts.

A 35-year-old Stoneham man who came to visit the victim, pulled an officer aside and told him he was the other passenger in the car. The Stoneham man said that both of them were very drunk when a stranger approached them and asked if they needed a cab, although police said it was still unclear whether the man was driving a licensed taxicab.

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Cambridge police: Man sustains brain injury after car drags him