Investigation

Great Barrington Police Investigating Fatal Crash

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Town of Great Barrington
Jennifer Tabakin, Town Manager
Town Hall
334 Main St.
Great Barrington, MA 01230

For Immediate Release

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Contact: Chief William Walsh Jr.
Phone: 413-528-0306

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: ben@jgpr.net

Great Barrington Police Investigating Fatal Crash

GREAT BARRINGTON — Chief William Walsh Jr. reports that the Great Barrington Police Department responded to a fatal crash Saturday morning and have cited a man for motor vehicle homicide.

A citation was issued to ROBERT BACIGALUPI, AGE 68, OF NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK for:

  • Motor Vehicle Homicide
  • Marked Lanes Violation

At approximately 11 a.m., police responded to a motor vehicle crash at 200 Maple Ave.

Two vehicles collided head-on, injuring both drivers. The drivers were the only occupants in the vehicles.

Annemarie E. Bushka, age 64, of Housatonic was seriously injured and was later pronounced dead at the scene.

BACIGALUPI was taken by ambulance to Berkshire Medical Center. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. He will be issued a summons to appear in court at a later date.

A portion of the road was closed while rescuers responded to the crash and while the vehicles were towed from the scene. All lanes were reopened once the scene was cleared.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by Great Barrington Police, with the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police.

Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call the Great Barrington Police at 413-528-0306.

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Whitman Police Will Not Cite Van Driver Following Investigation into Incident at Railroad Crossing

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Whitman Police Department
Scott D. Benton, Chief of Police
20 Essex St
Whitman, MA 02382

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-742-3922
Email: ben@jgpr.net

Whitman Police Will Not Cite Van Driver Following Investigation into Incident at Railroad Crossing

WHITMAN — Chief Scott D. Benton reports that the Whitman Police Department will not cite or charge the driver of a school minivan that came within feet of being struck by a commuter rail train on Essex Street yesterday.

The investigation into the incident was completed Tuesday and it was determined that the driver did what he could to prevent being hit by the train.

At approximately, 5:15 p.m. on Monday, April 9, Whitman Police received a notification that a train nearly struck a van at a railroad crossing on Essex Street.

A video taken by a witness driving behind the van was obtained and reviewed by Whitman Police.

One Whitman student and an adult passenger, who is a monitor for the student on board, were being transported inside the minivan at the time. The van and the train did not collide and there were no reports of any injuries. The van is owned by North River Collaborative, a Rockland-based educational organization that specializes in assisting children with special needs.

On Tuesday, Whitman Police interviewed the van driver, his adult passenger and the witness who took the video.

After reviewing the interviews and the video of the incident it was determined that the van did come to a full stop at the proper marked line prior to the tracks, as is required by law.

As the driver began to roll forward across the tracks, the gates had already begun to lower down.

“This is something that, while rare, does happen every once and a while,” Chief Benton said. “Most cars just drive right across the tracks, but the vehicles that are mandated by law to stop prior to the tracks can sometimes get caught in sort of a ‘no man’s land,’ where the lights start flashing and the gate comes down behind them before they can get across the tracks. Thankfully he was able to maneuver the van away from the tracks to avoid being struck.”

One of the gates came down on top of the van. The driver tried to back up, but the school bus sign on the van’s roof caught the gate, preventing it from reversing out of the way.

To avoid being struck by the train, the driver turned the van to its left, parallel with the tracks.

The identity of the driver is not being released.

 

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Whitman Police Investigating Incident at Railroad Crossing Involving School Van

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Whitman Police Department
Scott D. Benton, Chief of Police
20 Essex St
Whitman, MA 02382

For Immediate Release

Monday, April 9, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-742-3922
Email: ben@jgpr.net

Whitman Police Investigating Incident at Railroad Crossing Involving School Van

WHITMAN — Chief Scott D. Benton reports that the Whitman Police Department is investigating an incident where a school minivan appeared to come within feet of being struck by a commuter rail train this afternoon.

One Whitman student was being transported inside the minivan at the time. The van and the train did not collide and there were no reports of any injuries.

“We are asking anyone who saw this incident to please come forward as we gather information about what happened,” Chief Benton said. “We are extremely thankful that no one was injured and that there was no collision between the van and the train. We are taking this incident very seriously and are actively investigating at this time.”

At approximately, 5:15 p.m. on Monday, April 9, Whitman Police received a notification that a train nearly struck a van at a railroad crossing on Essex Street.

A video taken by an individual driving behind the van has been obtained by Whitman Police.

In the video, the van is shown between the railroad crossing gates and is parallel with the train tracks. The 26-second clip shows what appears to be the last few cars of a MBTA Commuter Rail train passing by, coming within feet of the van.

Once the train went by and the gates were raised, the video shows the van backing up into the proper lane of traffic and driving away.

Throughout the video, the van had a school bus sign on its roof in the upright position, signifying that a child was on board.

The initial investigation indicates that the van driver stopped just before the tracks and that one of the gates came down on top of the van. The driver maneuvered the van off the tracks but was unable to get around the gates before the train came.

State law requires that all school buses stop completely at all railroad crossings between 15-50 feet away from the train tracks.

The driver has been identified by Whitman Police and is cooperating with police.

The van is owned by North River Collaborative, a Rockland-based educational organization that specializes in assisting children with special needs. North River Collaborative is contracted by the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District. The company transports students with special needs throughout the state.

It is unclear at this time what the van’s route was.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Whitman Police Department at 781-447-1212.

 

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Raynham Police Continue to Investigate Crash Involving Pedestrian

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Raynham Police Department
Chief James Donovan
53 Orchard St.,
Raynham, MA 02767

For Immediate Release

Monday, April 9, 2018

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net

Raynham Police Continue to Investigate Crash Involving Pedestrian

RAYNHAM — Police Chief James Donovan reports that the Raynham Police Department is continuing to investigate a crash involving a pedestrian on Sunday, and that the victim has been released from the hospital.

The crash happened at approximately 9:25 a.m., Sunday, April 8, at 1 Judson St. in the parking lot of the Raynham Flea Market. The flea market was open for business at the time.

Robert Gadsby, age 75, of Raynham, was driving a 2008 Ford Ranger pickup truck when he collided with William Maurice, age 61, of New Bedford, who was walking in the parking lot.

Maurice sustained serious injuries and was taken by a Raynham Fire Department ambulance to a landing zone at a nearby parking lot. From there he was airlifted by medical helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital.

Maurice has since been treated and released from the hospital.

Gadsby remained at the scene and was cooperative with police.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

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