image description

Truck Driver Facing Motor Vehicle Homicide Charge in Fatal Crash

Print Story | Email Story
Update 4:29 p.m., April 26: Stanley Kardys, 67, of West Granby, Conn., is facing a single count of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation related to a collision on the Massachusetts Turnpike on Friday evening.
 
Kardys allegedly failed to brake properly when approaching slower traffic around the 14.8-mile mark in Becket at approximately 4:35 p.m. The tractor-trailer he was operating collided with the rear of a Toyota Camry driven by 69-year-old Gary Litwin, of Ludlow.
 
Litwin's vehicle subsequently collided with the rear of a Toyota Sienna, driven by Marinalva Silva, 39, of Springfield. EMS transported Litwin and his wife, Diane Litwin, 66, to Baystate Medical Center, where Gary Litwin died and Diane Litwin received medical treatment. EMS transported Silva to Berkshire Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
 
The court has not yet scheduled the arraignment. 
 
BECKET, Mass. — A Ludlow man was killed Friday when his car was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer on the Massachusetts Turnpike.
 
Troopers from the state police barracks in Lee responded to a crash on the eastbound side of the MassPike in Becket at about 3:22 p.m. The crash involved a Freightliner tractor-trailer, a 2020 Toyota Camry, and a 2008 Toyota Sienna van. 
 
Preliminary investigation by state police and the Berkshire District Attorney's Office indicates that the tractor-trailer was eastbound approaching Mile Marker 15 when traffic in front of the truck began to slow because of traffic. Evidence suggests the truck struck the rear of the Camry and pushed that car into the Sienna. 
 
Both occupants of the Camry were transported to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The operator, identified as Gary Litwin, 69, was pronounced deceased at the hospital. The passenger, a 66-year-old Ludlow woman, sustained serious injuries. 
 
The operator of the tractor-trailer, a 67-year-old man from West Granby, Conn., was not injured. Following investigation by troopers and the DA's Office, he will be charged criminally. His name and the exact charges will be released by the DA's Office on Monday. 
 
The operator of the Sienna, a 39-year-old West Springfield woman, was transported to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield for examination of possible injuries. 
 
The investigation is being conducted by state police from Troop B, Detective Unit for Berkshire County, Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, and the DA's Office. Troopers were assisted on scene by Lee Fire and emergency medical services and the state Department of Transportation. 
 
The rescue response and crash investigation required lane closures at various times until 8:40 p.m. 

Tags: fatal,   MassPike,   motor vehicle accident,   MVI,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at The Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society.

Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old.

Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two.

"They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said.

The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs.

"Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of wants to be in everything. He's very loving, very snuggly, as you can tell. And Callie here, she's 8 years old, and she is kind of like the life of the party," said Cyr. "She wants to tell you everything about her day, and she's a little bit of a little ham."

The two are considered seniors and really like soft treats as Cali just had a few teeth removed and Kyzer has a tooth procedure coming up.

"Currently, they really like soft treats, because they are both on the senior side of things. So they have had some dental work, so they are really in need of something softer. They are not big chewers at this age, really, their main focus right now is just really socializing and cuddling," Cyr said.

The two would love a quiet home with someone who wants to snuggle. They shouldn't go to a home with bigger dogs but if you have a dog, you can bring them in for a visitation with the poodles to see if they will get along. Cats will be fine and the preference is for older and more responsible children so that the pups don't get hurt, as they are senior citizens.

"The perfect home for them would be a quiet home that's not too active. Like I said, they're very social, so they could handle some visitors," she said. "They're very friendly, but I don't think that they would really enjoy any other dogs in the home."

Poodles need to be regularly groomed, and the prospective adopter will have to keep an eye on their health. Kyzer has a heart murmur that needs to be monitored. This doesn't mean he is in bad health, as he could live a perfectly normal life, but he will need to be checked by a veterinary specialist routinely.

"Ideally, he would go to a home that could provide further health care with a specialist in cardiac care. And you know, he could very well live out the rest of his life comfortably and happy," Cyr said. "We just don't have all that information at the moment, but I think that you know the way he's going right now. He's got a good spirit, and he seems to be pretty happy."

The shelter is hoping the to get them a home for the holidays.

"We would love to get them a home in time for the holidays. They've been here since the eighth of November, and they're really, really looking as much as the staff loves them here, we're really looking to get them into a home and somewhere nice and cozy so they can spend the rest of their life together," she said.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories