TURNERS FALLS — A vehicle crashed head-on into a tractor-trailer, taking the lives of two young people. A motorcyclist fractured his spine after he crashed into rusty farm equipment. A driver totaled a vehicle after swerving off the road into trees.
These recent accidents are just a few that have occurred on a 5-mile stretch of road on Route 63 in Montague. Since January of last year at least 19 accidents have occurred on this stretch of road, according to police records. Police reports show incidents of drivers speeding, of drivers losing control around curves in the road and of drivers texting while driving. These accidents come with varying degrees of loss, including the loss of life and the destruction of personal property. Now, the state Department of Transportation is promising to look into making the road safer.
“We understand the importance of this issue, and will perform a careful analysis of all information collected,” said Judi Riley, a spokeswoman for MassDOT. She declined to say when the analysis may be completed.
Montague Police Chief Charles “Chip” Dodge said he is not sure why so many accidents occur on Route 63, also known as Federal Street, but that it is a question worth asking.
“We are constantly asking the state to do something; there is not a lot they can do,” he said. By his estimate, about one accident occurs every year in roughly the same spot where the vehicle collided head on with a tractor-trailer, killing two young Millers Falls residents last month.
“That corner where the fatalities occurred, that has been a problem forever. Whenever we get an accident report, that is the spot that comes to my mind,” said Dodge. Police accident logs confirm a number of recent incidents on that same bend in the road.
In June, a driver going 20 mph above the speed limit swerved to avoid collision with a deer and lost control of the car, which veered off the road into a field and ended up wedged between a couple of trees. The driver climbed out of the car’s sunroof. In July, another driver lost control of a car, and also veered off the road. The driver ended up in the car’s trunk. After being transported to a nearby hospital, the driver was airlifted to University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center.
In another incident report in December, witnesses told police they heard a loud crash when a vehicle veered off the road, smashing into a mailbox, before driving off. Many of these incidents involve drivers going over the 40 mph speed limit, according to police reports.
Dodge said speed is typically a factor in accidents near this bend in the road on Route 63. This stretch of Route 63 has varying speed limits throughout Montague. He said he is not sure if more signage will deter people from speeding and the department can only dedicate patrol in that spot for so long.
“You can put all the signs in the world, but people have to follow them. We can put patrols out, but when they aren’t there, people are going to speed,” said Dodge. He said because the road is under the jurisdiction of the state DOT, local departments’ hands are tied. The department cannot change the signage or the speed limit independently of the state agency.
A property owner near the bend in the road at 255 Federal St. is now also petitioning the state to make the road safer. “Clearly I am concerned,” said Barry Elbaum, who owns a building with six apartments near the accident that took two lives in February.
His tenants were a few yards from where the early-morning accident occurred outside the six-unit apartment building. “I am concerned for my building. I am concerned for the people in my building and it is such a shocking thing to have something like this happen in such close proximity to where you are living,” said Elbaum. “It’s so tragic, it’s so heartbreaking. What can we do? You can acknowledge that roads can be safer. We just have to do something if we can.”
He has owned the apartment building near the accident site since 1988 and has heard about a number of accidents near the building. Now, concerned about reckless drivers, Elbaum said he is asking the Montague Police Department to put up speed traps on the stretch of road between Millers Falls and Lake Pleasant Road. He also contacted MassDOT about decreasing the speed limit on this stretch of the road, putting up additional signage and to install guardrails.
“My concern is that there is a general acceptance of unsafe driving and reckless driving and I don’t think we have paid attention to that,” said Elbaum, explaining that people often text or answer their phones while driving. “Given the horrific tragedy, it might wake some people up that would be willing to put some energy into making this a safer road for everyone.”
Veteran Turners Falls Deputy Fire Chief John Zellmann, who has been with the department for 32 years, also said that the bend in the road where two young lives were lost last month is notorious for accidents. His department assisted on the scene of the fatal accident in February. “Every so often that corner has a share of accidents,” he said.
Another location that authorities have identified as prone to accidents is the intersection of Route 63 with North Leverett Road near Montague Center. There are visibility issues on this intersection, which connects drivers coming from Sunderland, Leverett and Shutesbury to Route 63.
A motorcyclist crashed not far from this intersection last week in front of Hunting Hills Farm. In another instance in July, a witness told police that a car traveling south hit another vehicle at the intersection of Route 63 and North Leverett Road. Not long after, in August, a two-car accident occurred at this same intersection.
Dodge said that there is an issue with visibility in this location, where both North Leverett Road and Route 47 cross with Route 63.
He would like to see the state consider installing a stop light. He said there are a numbers of intersections on the road that might be to blame for accidents.
“If you saw these intersections you would understand why,” he said.
You can reach Lisa Spear at lspear@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 280