CONWAY — Two men were taken to the hospital after the medium-duty box truck they were in went off South Ashfield Road, struck a guardrail and careened into trees Friday night.
Ashfield Police Sgt. Dan Thibault, who said he was the first to arrive at the scene near 128 South Ashfield Road at around 6:30 p.m., said one man suffered serious injuries while the other appeared critically wounded.
Conway Police Chief Ken Ouimette said the man with critical injuries was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The other man was initially sent to Cooley Dickinson Hospital, but the ambulance was later diverted to Baystate Medical Center as well.
“The passenger had more severe wounds,” Ouimette said.
Thibault said both victims, who he believed were in their 20s or 30s, were extricated from the truck by the Jaws of Life.
Ouimette said the Conway Police Department is handling the investigation with assistance from the Ashfield Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police accident reconstruction team. At approximately 10:30 p.m., Ouimette said officers were still on scene.
“We have to track down anybody who may be a witness in it,” he said, noting that the accident was reported by a passerby, who stopped at a nearby home to call 911.
The accident temporarily closed the road at both ends.
Red’s Towing brought in two 60-ton rotators to get the truck back onto its wheels. Thibault said the truck belongs to an energy company, though he declined to disclose which one.
Ouimette said the fire departments in Conway, Ashfield, Williamsburg and Goshen assisted, with both Williamsburg and Goshen bringing Jaws of Life.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.