NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The former director of the Roots Teen Center, Paula R. Buxbaum, was killed early Friday morning a car accident on Route 295 in Caanan, N.Y.

 

Buxbaum, 58, was a passenger in the vehicle that went off the road about 2 a.m. on Friday and struck a tree. State police at the New Lebanon, N.Y., barracks responded to the scene. According to police, Buxbaum was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield where she was pronounced dead. 

 

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Douglas R. Jones, 51, who was treated for non-life-threatening injuries along with second passenger, age 17. The accident is under investigation but is deemed to be accidental at this time.

 

Buxbaum took over as executive director of Roots in 2019 and stayed until earlier this year. She had previously been director of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in Pittsfield, which trained volunteers to provide advocacy for children in the juvenile court system. 

 

Before joining CASA, a program of Berkshire Children and Families, she held an eight-year assignment as a tutor and regional volunteer coordinator with a program bringing K-12 education to children in homeless shelters in Los Angeles.

 

Correction: an earlier version of this article had erroneously reported Buxbaum as still being Roots director.