A 37-year-old motorcyclist was killed Thursday night after his motorcycle crossed into the westbound lane of Route 202 in Granby and collided with a tractor-trailer truck. The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. near 201 West State Street, and the rider was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office, preliminary findings show the motorcycle had been traveling east before it entered the westbound lane and struck the oncoming tractor-trailer. The truck's driver remained at the scene, cooperated with investigators, and has not been charged as of the DA's most recent update. Franklin County Now reported on the fatal collision, noting the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, as detailed by Franklin County Now.
Cause and manner of death have been referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, per the DA's office. The victim was identified as William Robinson, 37, of Belchertown.
A Five-Agency Investigation
The scale of the response underscores how seriously investigators are treating the crash. Five separate law enforcement entities are working the case, including the Granby Police Department alongside four specialized Massachusetts State Police units — the Detective Unit assigned to the district attorney's office, the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the Crime Scene Services Section, and the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, the district attorney's office said.
This marks the second fatal traffic crash in Granby in under two weeks. On August 29, a 25-year-old Chicopee resident died after his vehicle left School Street around 2 a.m. and struck a telephone pole, a case Hoodline covered in detail. Both crashes fall under the jurisdiction of the Northwestern District Attorney's office.
Route 202 Has Seen This Before
An earlier Boston 25 News report described a Springfield man who died on Route 202 in Granby after losing control of his eastbound motorcycle and skidding into the westbound lane into an oncoming vehicle, according to Boston 25 News. Route 202 passes through Granby.
A Statewide Rise in Motorcycle Deaths
The Granby crash lands amid a troubling statewide trend. Motorcycle operator fatalities in Massachusetts jumped 22 percent in 2024, climbing to 71 deaths from 58 the year before, according to MassDOT Crash Data Portal figures cited by Mass.gov. That rise came even as overall traffic fatalities in the state told a more mixed story: preliminary NHTSA data released in April showed Massachusetts traffic deaths fell 3 percent in 2025 to 352, after climbing 6 percent in 2024 to 363, as reported by Agency Checklists.
The article describes the crash on Route 202 after the motorcycle crossed into the westbound lane. The article also addresses motorcycle safety.
Key details remain unresolved, including the cause and manner of death pending the medical examiner's findings, and whatever commercial vehicle inspectors and State Police reconstruction specialists ultimately determine about speed or environmental conditions at the time of the crash.
