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A dogged defense lawyer and former prosecutor killed in a freak accident Monday when a crowbar pierced the windshield of his moving SUV is being fondly recalled for his compassion and sense of humor.
Attorney John F. Madaio, 63, of Paxton, was pronounced dead at Harrington Hospital after Spencer police said a crowbar "was kicked up or fell from another vehicle" on Route 9 east Monday morning. The heavy metal bar struck Madaio in the head as it penetrated the windshield of his 2016 Toyota Rav 4 at approximately 10 a.m., police reported.
The SUV careened off the road, struck a curb and an unoccupied vehicle in the parking lot of the Crestview Condominiums, and then plunged down an embankment, police said.
Madaio was based in Worcester. His high-profile cases included his representation of Mathew Locke, a Ware man charged with misleading police in connection with the March murders of a West Brookfield family: Sara Bermudez, 38, and her children, Madison Bermudez, 8, James Bermudez, 6, and Michael Bermudez, 2.
But Madaio had worked the other side of the law, as well.
"John touched many people in his life with his sharp wit, his compassion and his legal abilities. He will be missed by all who knew him. This is a big loss for community," said Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.
“John was a great father, great lawyer and extremely well-respected member of the DA’s office for more than 15 years,″ Early said in a statement Monday. “More recently as a defense attorney, John was a dedicated advocate for his clients."
Madaio was a 1980 graduate of Loyola University New Orleans School of Law. He also held a bachelor's degree in political science from College of the Holy Cross.
His former law partner Christopher P. LoConto became a district court judge in Fitchburg in 2013.
Funeral arrangements were incomplete this morning.
Spencer police are asking anyone who witnessed this accident to contact them at 508-885-6333.
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