NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — An elderly Vermont woman missed the turn coming out of TD Bank on Main Street and ended up on the wrong side of the road Monday afternoon.
Traffic was diverted around the scene across from the Mohawk Theater for a half-hour or so until the car was taken away. No one was injured but the driver appeared a little shaken.
The woman apparently drove her late model Hyundai Elantra sedan across the eastbound lanes of Main Street and over the median and headed the wrong way in the southernmost lane at about 1:30 p.m.
The small car went under one of the chains strung along the median to deter pedestrian and motor vehicle crossings. One of the posts connected to the chain was tilted and car's roof was scratched up. The car also went up on the median curbing as it traveled east in the westbound lane. Both tires on the driver's side popped as did the front tire on the passenger side.
Police, firefighters and Northern Berkshire EMS responded to the scene and the driver was helped away from the car until a family member could be contacted. Mohawk Auto Wrecking removed the vehicle. Police are looking into the accident.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A teenager is facing charges after driving in the wrong lane and causing a rollover accident on West Main Street on Wednesday afternoon.
The occupant of the other vehicle had to be extricated by firefighters and was taken to Berkshire Medical Center's North Adams campus with injuries.
The 17-year-old, whose name has not yet been released, was westbound just before 3 p.m. in a black Honda Civic near Brown Street when he swerved into the eastbound lane. He tried to pull back out, as seen by the tire tracks on the road, but collided with an eastbound Chevrolet Equinox with two occupants.
The Civic's front driver side fender is believed to have struck the back driver's side of the Equinox, ripping off the back tire. The Equinox hit the curb and flipped over, landing on its roof and facing the north side of Hill Side Cemetery. The Civic came to a stop in the westbound lane about 50 feet away.
Firefighters had to use extrication tools to remove the passenger side door to get to one of the occupants in the Equinox. Both the driver and passenger were taken to BMC North by Northern Berkshire Ambulance Service. The driver of the Civic declined transport but was taken to the satellite emergency facility by his father.
Cariddi Auto towed the Civic and Dean's Towing righted and removed the Equinox. The roadway was closed for about a half-hour and traffic was detoured over Brown Street and Roberts Drive.
Update Nov. 7, 2018: The woman struck by the train has been identified as Lindsay Bolte, 29, of North Adams. She incurred serious injuries, including to her leg, but is expected to recover. Two other women were on the trestle with her at the time but were escaped unharmed.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A woman was struck by a train while crossing the trestle near American Legion Drive early Tuesday evening.
According to police, she incurred life-threatening injuries and was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. Her identity is not being released at this time.
The woman was in a group of three on the trestle as the train approached shortly before 6 p.m. The other two individuals were able to get off in time and were uninjured.
The train reportedly blew its whistle a number of times to alert the group. It reached the little tunnel before stopping. The tracks are owned by Pan Am Railways and freight trains run through the city usually twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening.
The trestle goes over the Hoosic River and connects the east bank, off American Legion Drive, to the west bank under the Hadley Overpass to Western Gateway Heritage State Park.
Police had blocked off the parking lot by Freight Yard Pub and Christopher Columbus Drive. Yellow tape cordoned off the area next to the tracks on the Heritage Park side. Railway personnel arrived on the scene around 7 p.m.
Further information was not immediately available and the incident is under investigation.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Authorities are warning Berkshire County residents about a telephone scam targeting
elderly victims.
Berkshire District Attorney Paul J. Caccaviello says several people have fallen victim to the scam in which the caller poses as a relative or the attorney of a relative that has been involved in an accident where someone else has been injured. The caller claims the relative is in need of bail money, legal fees and medical expenses.
Those making the fake calls have been operating out of the state of Florida, but the phone numbers they are using have an area code of 202, which is located in Washington, D.C.
Caccaviello is asking anyone who may have received such a call or who may receive a call not to comply with any requests to send money and to contact their local police department.
The Berkshire Eagle reports that a North Adams women sent some $23,000 in cash to a person in Florida posing as a bail bondsman for a grandson who had purportedly been in a drunk-driving accident.
Anyone requesting immediate cash payments should be considered suspicious; always confirm any situation with an independent source. If someone is calling claiming to be representing a family member or friend, contact that person first before sending any money.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The body of a woman from outside the area was discovered Sunday morning in the parking area of the former Holy Family Church on State Road.
The woman, who was reportedly from the eastern part of the state, was found sitting in a car by a resident of the nearby elderly housing complex. She appeared to have been there for some time.
Local authorities say the death is not considered suspicious. The woman's car, a late model Subaru, was towed from the scene.
The woman's name and age have not been released and it is not clear what she was doing in North Adams.
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