Man who rear-ended taxi, killing passenger, gets prison time

FALL RIVER, Mass. – A Boston man who had been bar hopping on St. Patrick’s Day two years ago before he drove into the rear of a taxi at more than 120 mph, killing the passenger, has been sentenced to up to eight years in prison.

Prosecutors say 43-year-old Michael Spinale was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to motor vehicle homicide while drunk and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Police say Spinale rammed the rear of the taxi on Interstate 195 in Attleboro at about 1 a.m. March 18, 2017. The passenger, 39-year-old Kailash Bolar, of Warwick, Rhode Island, who was getting a ride home from the airport, was killed.

The accident reconstruction found that Spinale was driving as fast as 127 mph (204 kph), while the taxi was going 66 mph (106 kph).