| |
Daily DigestLike to Write?
 Passionate about local sports? Into the environment? Obsessive about local meetings?
Let your neighbors know what's going on in Berkshire County! iBerkshires accepts submissions about local events, news and opinion pieces. There are openings for freelance work, too, for qualified candidates. E-mail tdaniels@iberkshires.com to find out more. |
Got Flu?
Track its spread through Google! |
| Need to contact iBerkshires? Here's how. |
ObituariesWhat's Playing
A television-hero pup (John Travolta) thinks he's a real superdog in the Disney film "Bolt." |
Sales FliersColumnists | Independent Investor
|
Other StuffRelated Stories |
| |
Howland Avenue Collision Leaves One DeadStaff reports - April 18, 2008
iBerkshires
 | | A scooter driven by an accident victim lies on the side of Howland Avenue. |
ADAMS — A fatal accident on Howland Avenue closed the state highway to southbound traffic for more than two hours on Friday afternoon.
Martin Chittenden, 52, of Bienik Avenue, Adams, was pronounced dead at the scene after his bright yellow scooter was collided with the back of a dark green Jeep Grand Cherokee in front of Ronnie's Cycle shop on Howland Avenue.
Police had declined to identify the crash victim on Friday or the occupants of the Cherokee. The North Adams Transcript reported that the Jeep's passengers were three adults and an infant, none of whom were seriously injured.
The crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. on Friday. The Jeep's driver, Dana Burdick, told the Transcript he was stopped in the left northbound lane to turn into the Goodwill Store parking lot when Chittenden collided with the back of his vehicle.
The collision shattered the back window, spraying glass over the passengers, including Burdick's 2-month-old son, Jarod. The infant was taken to North Adams Regional Hospital along with his mother, Laura Williams, as a precaution, according to the Transcript.
The fourth passenger was an unidentified family friend.
The motor scooter, a small 150 cc, lay on the opposite side of the road. The Cherokee, parked in the entrance to the Goodwill Store, had extensive rear-end damage.
In addition to the blown-out back window, the hatch door was buckled in the center. The collision apparently knocked one side of the bumper off its supports and blew glass throughout the cab. Fragments lined the front dashboard.
Northbound vehicles were allowed to pass around the scene, where the victim's body was covered by a red tarp in the northbound lane. The body could not be removed until a medical examiner could arrive.
State Police Crime Scene Services were called to reconstruct the accident and Fillion's loaded the Cherokee on a flatbed just after 4 p.m. The medical examiner was expected to arrive shortly after.
Southbound cars on Curran Highway were rerouted down Hodges Crossroad and over to East Road by North Adams Police. Adams Ambulance Service and North Adams Ambulance service responded to the scene and state police from the Cheshire barracks directed traffic.
Updated with new information on April 19, 2008. |
| Typically, the news media is one of the first on the scene of such a tragedy. Also, typically, they are much akin to vultures, circling the scene, trying to get that "scoop" of a photo, because the public has the "right to know", and after all this is NEWS, and THEY are the annointed royalty who provides this priceless service. Well, as an EMS provider, I have been at many of these tragic scenes, and the addition of a totally insensitive, pushy, egotistical reporter is often more than I can stand. The news media has outstripped their value in these cases. This accident, as many others, had repercussions far beyond the "right to know". This is a heart rending loss for the family of the departed, and also is catastrophic to others involved. The media should look inward into it's own self to see how they would feel if this was their loved one here. There would never be another insensitive article written with idiotic content like this one, nor would there be another photo taken like these. I advise all reporters to steer clear of any accident scene I am working at, or bring a body guard. | | from: EMS Provider | on: 04-26-2008 |
|
| I feel that the coverage of this tragedy was distasteful and insensitive to all of the families involved. My heart goes out to Nancy and the family. Let this poor family grieve in peace. May their last memories of Marty be his great smile and love for his family and life, not of the horrific pictures that accompanied the unprofessional article. | | from: Lisa - Williamstown | on: 04-26-2008 |
|
| Did anyone really need to know, that "the body" (who has a name, face, family and friends) was covered with a tarp, and couldn't be removed until the medical examiner arrived? That was pretty insensitive to put into an article. Please think about what you are writing before you hand it to the editor. To the editor....if that had been your family, would you have appreciated that? | | from: insensitive! | on: 04-24-2008 |
|
|
Enter your email address below to receive our FREE iBerkshires.com Newsletter
|
