Bruce Evenchik, a 78-year-old Pittsfield man, was killed when a tree fell on him while he was hiking near Kennedy Park in Lenox as a nor'easter battered the region with wind and rain. Passing hikers found him near a parking area and called for help at about 1:20 p.m., but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident happened on a trail off Aspinwall Road, according to CBS News, in the Kennedy Park area of Lenox, a town more than 130 miles west of Boston. Lenox police said the weather that day was dangerous, with many trees down throughout Berkshire County as the storm moved through.
Kennedy Park is more than a trailhead: the town-owned woodland has nearly 15 miles of trails used for hiking, horseback riding and other recreation. The site also has a longer history: it includes the grounds of the former Aspinwall Hotel, built in 1902 and destroyed by fire in 1931. Lenox acquired the property in 1958, and it was later renamed for John Drummond Kennedy, whose bequest helped maintain the trail system, the town’s open-space plan says.
A Storm That Toppled Trees Across the County
Police also responded to a separate call on Sunset Avenue in Lenox, where a tree fell on a parked, unoccupied car. No one was injured in that incident, but it underscored how widespread the storm's impact on trees had become across the area that day.
The nor'easter brought strong wind gusts and heavy rain to Massachusetts, with the worst of the weather concentrated in the southeastern part of the state. Ahead of the storm, the Boston Globe reported that a strengthening system was expected to deliver damaging onshore winds, coastal flooding, and beach erosion to Southern New England through the weekend, with winds of up to 50 to 60 mph and scattered power outages forecast for southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the South Coast.
Rainfall Forecasts Ahead of the Storm
Rainfall forecasts varied by location, with 2 to 5 inches expected near the coast and 1 to 3 inches inland.
Coastal gusts of 45 to 60 mph were forecast. Long-lasting winds combined with heavy rain and fully leafed trees could increase the risk of tree damage and power outages — a risk that proved fatal in Lenox.
The National Weather Service advises people caught outdoors during high winds to avoid trees and power lines if shelter is unavailable, and says the safest place during high winds is indoors. That guidance reflects a hazard beyond damage to buildings and roads: falling trees and branches can endanger people in wooded areas as well. The agency’s high-wind safety guidance recommends seeking shelter in a sturdy building during a high-wind warning.
Remembered as a Dedicated Eye Surgeon
Evenchik lived in Pittsfield and was a former partner and surgeon at Berkshire Eye Center, which is based in that city. The practice said he was integral to its founding and dedicated his career to caring for patients throughout the Berkshires, according to the CBS report.
Evenchik’s role in the practice dates to its origins. Berkshire Eye Center opened in Pittsfield in June 1995, bringing together two local ophthalmology practices; one, Berkshire Eye Associates, was run by Evenchik and Dr. Michael Cancilla. The center’s history says the merger expanded the physicians’ services in comprehensive eye care for the community. Its account of the practice’s founding places Evenchik among the doctors who helped build the organization.
Berkshire Eye Center said Evenchik helped thousands of people regain their sight and improve their lives over the course of his career, and that he would be missed by his colleagues, patients, friends, and everyone else who knew him.
