November 19, 2020
Virginia “Jinny” Chalmers, 70, of Dorchester, a longtime BPS teacher and retired principal of the Young Achievers K-8 Pilot School in Mattapan, died Tuesday after a a crash between her bicycle and an Eversource truck on Blue Hills Parkway.
The crash occurred in daylight at around 3 p.m. on Blue Hills Parkway near its intersection with Eliot St.
Chalmers was was nearing the bridge that leads over the Neponset River to Mattapan Square, just two blocks ahead, when she was struck by a large utility truck traveling northbound on Blue Hills Parkway taking a right onto Eliot St.
The unidentified 62-year-old male operator of the truck was transported to an area hospital and Chalmers was determined to be deceased on scene.
The crash remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police. The area has been identified by MassDOT as a “high-crash cluster.”
Chalmers is survived by her wife Ilene Carver, an organizer at the Boston Teachers Union.
In a bulletin sent out Wednesday by the Boston Teachers Union, staff wrote:“Ilene appreciates all of the messages and gestures of love. It would be deeply appreciated if everyone could please respect Ilene and her family’s need for privacy at this time. Just know that she carries you all in her heart as we carry her in ours.”
“This is a deeply personal tragedy and loss to the entire BPS and BTU community. There will be a public memorial service in the future. Information about the service will be shared when it becomes available.”