NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A 31-year-old Adams man was seriously injured early Sunday night after crashing his sport utility vehicle on Church Street.

The accident occurred before 8:30 p.m. near the intersection with Bradley.  The driver, whose name was not immediately released, had to be extricated from the vehicle and taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield.

"He appeared to have serious injuries," said Police Director Michael Cozzaglio, who added that the driver was not wearing a seat belt. "Speed and alcohol seem to be the two contributing factors to this accident."

His black Nissan Xterra was southbound on Church when he lost control, veered across the northbound lane, going up onto the lawn of a house just past Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

"He came up on the lawn, hit a tree, and still traveling at a high rate of speed ... he was sideways on the passenger side and came to rest on the stair on its side,"  said Cozzaglio.

The vehicle cut across a shared driveway, taking out a "Private Drive" sign, and up onto another steep lawn when it flipped onto its passenger side, slid into a concrete stairway and down into the road.

It came to rest across the northbound lane of road with debris surrounding it, including broken bottles; Church was closed between Davenport and Blackinton for more than an hour.

North Adams Fire and North Adams Ambulance also responded to the scene. Cariddi Auto towed the Nisson, a total loss, from the scene.

Cozzaglio said the accident is under investigation and charges are pending.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A three-car collision on the Hadley Overpass sent one person to the hospital and stopped traffic around 2:30 p.m.

Initially, the call was for a car on fire on the bridge, with both the Fire Department and police responding. Any blaze had been extinguished almost immediately.

The chain-reaction accident happened between two pickup trucks and a sport utility vehicle, all northbound, as they neared the intersection with Main Street.

Traffic was almost at a complete stop when a Dodge Ram 1500 reportedly collided with the back of a Toyota Four-Runner, pushing into the Toyota Tacoma pickup in front of it.

"I looked up in the rear view mirror and it was barreling toward me like a freight train," said the Four-Runner's driver.

The road was wet and it was raining. Police declined to comment on the cause of the accident at the scene.

The Four-Runner was severely damaged on both front and rear ends, which caused both airbags to be deployed. It was removed by Mohawk Auto. The Toyota Tacoma had some damage on the rear bed but the driver was transported to the hospital. The Dodge incurred front-end damage and was taken away by Dean's Quality Auto.

Traffic was halted for a short time until the vehicles could be removed.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Route 8 was closed to traffic in Cheshire early Thursday afternoon because of a major accident involving a bus and Ford Taurus. State police were reporting "multiple injuries, some serious."

According to scanner reports, three people were considered "critical" and four as minor injuries. The accident occurred just after noontime near the crosswalk just north of Lanesborough Road.

The southbound Berkshire Regional Transit Authority bus veered off the road and into the front yard of a white house on the east side. Both vehicles sustained major front-end damage.

Cheshire Fire Assistant Chief Michael Biagini confirmed seven people total from both the Taurus and the bus were taken to the hospital. He did not know how many people were on the bus at the time and did not know if those in the car were wearing seat belts.

Berkshire Gas was contacted because the bus came to rest next to the gas meter on the house.

"The homeowner was home at the time in the house but was uninjured," Biagini said "They're building a temporary wall inside the house before we can remove the bus."

He referred further questions to the district attorney's office.

A motorist several cars behind the bus said he had come through the light at West Mountain Road and was at about Cheshire Liquor Center when the crash occurred.

"As we got by the driveway, there was a big poof of smoke ... The cars in front pulled over, I pulled over, and they got out and ran up," he said.

The driver said he did not see the accident occur because the bus had just pulled around the slight bend in the road toward the lake and the view was blocked.

Four or five ambulances responded to the scene, he said.

Traffic was beginning to move at about 1:23 p.m.

Village Truck Sales towing was on the scene, but the house had to be secured before the bus can be removed.

We have contacted BRTA for a statement on the incident.

Crash on Rt 8 Chesire involves transit bus and van, and then into a residence. Serious injuries confirmed. Rt8 remains closed.

— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) December 17, 2015