UPDATE: Victims in Labor Day Weekend Motorcycle Crashes Identified

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

Updated on 09052024 at 6:30 pm: According to the District Attorney's office the motorcyclist killed Sunday in Lanesborough was identified as Alfred Paul Salvatore, 75 of Pittsfield.

According to the Daily Voice that one person involved in the motorcycle crash in Charlemont, also on Sunday, has died. The Daily Voice reported that Sheila Rombeiro, of Pittsfield, was riding on the back of her husband's motorcycle when it was involved in a crash with a SUV on Route 2. Her husband, Robert Rombeiro, also of Pittsfield, was seriously injured in the crash.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — There was a fatal motorcycle accident and other emergencies in Berkshire County over Labor Day weekend.

On Sunday evening, a fatal collision occurred between a motorcycle traveling in the Eastbound lane of Route 7 and Route 8 Connector Road in Lanesborough.  

The Berkshire District Attorney's Office's State Police Detective Unit responded to a call for assistance from Lanesborough Police around 12:45 a.m.

"The motorcycle appears to have crossed into the oncoming lane where the motorcycle collided with an SUV. The driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene," wrote Julia Sabourin, the DA's chief of operations.

"The investigation remains ongoing."

Earlier that evening around 10:50 p.m., Dalton firefighters were dispatched to 38 Deming St. for a blaze and had it controlled in about ten minutes with mutual aid from Hinsdale, Lanesborough, Cheshire, and Pittsfield.

There were no reported civilian or fire injuries but a police officer was reportedly transferred to Berkshire Medical Center with minor injuries after going into the residence with the owner and rescuing their dogs.

The road was shut down until around 1:30 a.m. when a general overhaul was completed and all apparatuses were cleared, according to the fire department.

Also over the weekend, a poodle mix named Charlotte got away from her owners during a car accident near the firehouse on West Housatonic Street.  According to social media posts, she has since been located with the help of the internet.

MassLive reported that two people were critically injured in a motorcycle crash on Route 2 Sunday evening.

State police reported that the crash happened at the intersection of Avery Brook Rd. around 6:25 p.m. and the Shelburne Falls Fire Department responded, calling for two medical helicopters.

Both were still in critical condition on Sunday night according to the state police, the news outlet reported, and the crash caused Route 2 to be closed for over four hours.

 

Tags: accident,   structure fire,   

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

Lanesborough Elm Tree Named Largest in State

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — King Elmer is living up to his name, now deemed the largest American Elm in the state.

Jim Neureuther, chair of the Tree and Forrest Committee, happily reported this to the Select Board on Monday.  The Department of Conservation and Recreation released an updated Champion Trees list on May 4 with the town's over 100-foot tall elm at the top.

"It's official, King Elmer is the largest American Elm tree in Massachusetts," Neureuther said.

Located at the corner of Route 7 and Summer St., the king is believed to be over 250 years old and is 107 feet tall with an average canopy spread of 95.5 feet.  It scored 331.88 points with the state based on a 201-inch circumference, which is a 64-inch diameter (5'4 through the middle of the tree.)

King Elmer dethroned the former champion elm in Old Deerfield Village that has been cut down.  In 2019, Neureuther traveled to Franklin County to see it only to find a stump, prompting him to submit the Lanesborough tree's official measurements.

He thought, "Wait a minute, we're moving up the ranks now."

The second-place elm scored 320 points, giving King Elmer a lead in the race barring the loss of a limb.

Earlier this year, the town was notified by the Arbor Day Foundation that it had been recognized as Tree City USA for 2023, a long-held designation.  

View Full Story

More Lanesborough Stories