A tragic event occurred early Saturday morning when a 33-year-old man from Sunderland was fatally struck by a vehicle near the University of Massachusetts Amherst's highway exit on Route 116, according to MassLive. The man was walking along the edge of the southbound highway when he was hit; following the incident, the highway's lanes were shut down, causing traffic disruptions mentioned by MassDOT's official social media account.
Pedestrian crash with serious injuries in #Hadley on RT-116-NB, SB near the Umass Exit on SB side of RT116. Multiple lanes closed. Seek alternate route.
— Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) January 6, 2024
The driver, a 29-year-old woman from Deerfield, contacted the police herself and authorities including Hadley police officers, State Police attached to the Northwestern District Attorney’s office, and other emergency personnel responded to the scene where the man was found unresponsive and despite the immediate medical care he was provided, he was declared dead at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, as per the details released to the press.
As of now, the district attorney's office has not indicated whether they will file any criminal charges related to the collision; however, the investigation is ongoing, with several units including the Hadley Police Department, State Police attached to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner looking into the crash's circumstances, as stated in a press release from the office of Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan.
This incident serves as a sobering reminder to both motorists and pedestrians of the inherent dangers present on our roads, especially near highway exits where vehicles tend to move at higher speeds and where, even with all the caution that is and may be exercised risks are ever-present, as highlighted by this unfortunate occurrence.
