A stretch of road near the Bullseye Bar in Chicopee was shut down early Thursday after a motor vehicle crash left a pedestrian with serious injuries. Police closed the road as investigators worked the scene.
The Chicopee Police Department said the road near the Bullseye Bar was closed due to the crash, while its Crash Reconstruction Team responded to investigate. According to WWLP, the crash occurred on Center Street and the road was shut down near the Bullseye Bar at approximately 2:40 a.m. and later reopened.
Details beyond the pedestrian's serious injuries, including their identity, condition, and what led to the crash, have not been released. No information about the driver or any citations has been made public.
A Corridor With a Troubled Safety History
This is not the first time a stretch near Chicopee Street has drawn attention for a pedestrian crash. In February 2023, a crash near Chicopee Street and Florence Street sent a pedestrian to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to a report from the same outlet, which noted the driver in that incident stopped, stayed at the scene, and cooperated with police. That crash occurred at around 4:05 p.m., and the outlet's report at the time noted it marked the third pedestrian crash on Chicopee Street within three months, part of six pedestrian accidents citywide since October 2022, including three on Chicopee Street, two on Springfield Street, and one on Broadway Street.
The pattern has continued. By June 2025, the intersection of McKinstry Avenue and Chicopee Street had already seen four injury-causing crashes that year, according to MassLive. The outlet also reported that Chicopee had recorded 10 pedestrian deaths since 2019, five of them at various points along Chicopee Street.
City Response and Funding for Fixes
In response to the toll, Chicopee secured a $100,000 state grant for traffic mitigation and safety improvements at the McKinstry Avenue and Chicopee Street intersection, MassLive reported. The city had already installed traffic islands and flashing beacons on Chicopee Street aimed at getting drivers to slow down, according to the same report.
Chicopee Mayor John Vieau said the city was working with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to investigate high-volume pedestrian intersections that lead to retail areas, schools, and parks, according to a separate report from WWLP. That report identified Montgomery Street, Memorial Drive, and Center Street among the city's top pedestrian crash locations, and noted that two people had died among 130 total crashes recorded in the city that year. The Chicopee City Council approved $200,000 in early February to cover the costs of a citywide Safety Improvement Project, with the city's Department of Public Works expected to have those projects underway by spring.
A resident's petition seeking speed tables had more than 400 signatures, according to the earlier Western Mass News report. Whether any of the planned safety projects have been completed or how they may relate to Thursday's crash has not been verified.
