The mother of the 5-year-old girl struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver in Franklin over Memorial Day weekend has also died from injuries suffered in the head-on crash, according to authorities.

Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey and Franklin Police Chief Thomas J. Lynch announced on Tuesday that Minaben Patel, 38, of Franklin, had died from the serious injuries she suffered in the crash.

Emergency Responders rushed Patel and her son, Kung, who had just turned 14 that day, May 24, from the scene to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for treatment. Her 5-year-old daughter, Krisha, died that night.

“The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office and the Franklin Police Department are saddened by the loss to Minaben’s family, and we extend our heartfelt condolences,” Morrissey and Lynch said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

They did not provide an update on the condition of Patel’s son, while an autopsy was slated to be performed to determine the cause of her death.

Patel’s husband, Atulkumar Patel, was also rushed to UMass Memorial but was subsequently released from the medical center.

The father told a responding officer at the scene that the family had been en route to Blackstone for his son’s birthday celebration when suspect James Blanchard, 21, of Franklin, plowed into them in a pickup truck.

Blanchard allegedly told police that he drank two beers while at a landscaping job that afternoon before he opened a 1.75-liter bottle of Tito’s Vodka and “began drinking straight out of it,” on his way home from Plainville, according to an incident report.

Blanchard is being held on $250,000 cash bail after his arraignment at Wrentham District Court last Tuesday. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

He currently faces charges of motor vehicle homicide while driving negligently and under the influence of alcohol, three counts of operating under the influence of alcohol and causing serious bodily injury, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle with an open container of alcohol, and a marked lanes violation.

The results of a breath test taken at the scene showed the man’s blood alcohol content at 0.189, more than double the legal limit of 0.08, according to the incident report.

A vigil is scheduled to be held in the area of the crash, 75 Grove St., in Franklin, on Thursday at 6 p.m., in remembrance of Minaben.

“Minaben’s family is again deeply thankful for all the love and support shared over the last week,” the vigil’s organizer, The SAFE Coalition, posted on Facebook Tuesday afternoon. “They invite the community to honor this amazing Mother, Wife, Family Member and friend.”

The gathering will come just five days after services were held in memory of her daughter.

Krisha’s obituary states: “Our hearts are broken as we say goodbye to such a precious little soul. In her short time with us, she filled the world with laughter, wonder, and love. Her smile could brighten the darkest day, and her kind heart touched everyone she met. Though her time here was far too brief, her spirit will forever live on in the hearts of all who loved her. We will carry her memory with us always – like a beautiful, shining star in the sky. May she rest peacefully, wrapped in love and light.”

Originally Published: June 3, 2025 at 6:39 PM EDT

Fewer than half of Massachusetts residents approve of Governor Maura Healey, and more people polled think she “does not deserve to be re-elected” than do, according to a new survey from University of New Hampshire.

Researchers polled 907 Massachusetts residents, a majority of whom are registered as unenrolled voters, according to the poll’s methodology.

The poll showed that 49 percent of residents approve of Healey’s performance, while 45 percent don’t. That approval rating is down from 54 percent earlier this year, but up from a low of 42 percent in November.

A spokesperson for Healey deferred to the Massachusetts Democratic Party, which categorized the UNH poll as an “outlier.”

“Governor Healey will be re-elected because she is focused on the issues that matter most to voters in Massachusetts, lowering the cost of living, building more housing, improving transportation and education, and standing up to Donald Trump,” said MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan. “What is undeniable is that Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly reject Donald Trump and his disastrous agenda.”

The poll also showed just one-third of voters approve of President Donald Trump, his handling of the economy, and his handling of foreign affairs. A majority of people polled also thought that Trump accepting the plane from Qatar was “inappropriate” and the U.S. isn’t supporting Ukraine enough.

Healey is facing two Republican challengers: Brian Shortsleeve, the former head of the MBTA, and Mike Kennealy, a Lexington Republican who served in former Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration. 

Both candidates reacted to news of the polling numbers on X, with Shortsleeve writing “her numbers are devastating. Do you think it is the migrant crisis, utility bills, or out of control spending?”

MassGOP emailed supporters with one overall message: “Healey is “beatable” in 2026,” Executive Director John Milligan said.

“The UNH poll confirms what we all knew: Maura Healey is vulnerable and she does not deserve to be reelected. I am the only candidate who can defeat Maura Healey. Massachusetts is ready for change and I’m ready to deliver,” Kennealy said on X.

MassDems pointed to a University of Massachusetts poll from February that shows that Healey “maintains support” and a Democratic Governors Association that shows record high ratings in May.

“Try as they might, Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve cannot hide from their support for Trump’s policies,” Kerrigan said. “Voters will reject their brand of failed MAGA Republican politics.”

Twenty-one percent of the respondents named the most important problem facing the state as housing, with 12 percent mentioning immigration and cost of living, according to UNH’s poll. The poll also showed that more than half of residents are also concerned about Sen. Ed Markey’s age. The senator is running for reelection next year at age 79.

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.

Less than half of all Massachusetts residents say they approve of Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s job performance as Bay State Republicans rev their engines ahead of the 2026 campaign.

Forty-nine percent of respondents to the new University of New Hampshire poll said they approve of Healey, compared to 45% who said they disapproved. With the poll’s 3.3% margin of error, that’s a statistical dead heat.

Still, the Arlington Democrat, who’s had to fend off GOP criticisms of her management of the state’s shelter crisis among other issues, did see her popularity decrease from the last UNH poll in March.

There, 54% of respondents approved of Healey’s job performance, compared to 43% who said they disapproved.

Two Republicans, Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve, both former aides to GOP Gov. Charlie Baker, are vying for the party’s nomination in 2026.

Healey maintained support among Bay State Democrats (78%) while nearly 4 in 10 independents (39%) and 5% of Republicans said they approved of her.

UNH pollsters sampled the opinions of 907 respondents between May 22 and May 26.

Twenty-one percent of respondents listed the state’s high housing costs as the top issue facing Massachusetts, while 12% each pointed to immigration and the state’s high cost of living.

Healey, in multiple public appearances, has touted her administration’s efforts to rein in the cost of housing and to lower the cost of living.

Barely a third of respondents (37%) said Healey deserves a second term, while 40% said she does not — another statistical dead heat given the poll’s margin of error.

Twenty-three percent of respondents said they had no opinion.

Sixty percent of self-identified Democrats said Healey deserved four more years in the corner office, compared to 32% of independents and 4% of Republicans.

Another candidate facing reelection next year — Democratic U.S. Sen. Ed Markey — encountered similarly choppy waters, with just 33% saying he deserves another term, compared to 43% who said he does not.

More than half of all respondents (55%) said they’re concerned about Markey’s age.

The Malden Democrat will be 79 in the thick of the 2026 campaign season. And among respondents who think he deserves another term, 48% said they were concerned about his, according to the poll.

Among those who think Markey does not deserve reelection, more than 7 in 10 respondents (71%) said they were concerned about his age.

Meanwhile, only about a third of respondents said they approved of Republican President Donald Trump’s handling of such key issues as the economy and foreign policy. And a similar number said they approved of his job performance, according to the poll.

Six in 10 respondents said they disapproved of Trump’s ongoing war with Harvard University over its internal operations and the administration’s efforts to withhold federal funding from the Cambridge-based institution.