WARWICK — A 65-year-old Athol man died at the hospital after being transported for life-threatening injuries following a motorcycle accident over the weekend, according to Warwick Police Chief David Shoemaker.
Steven Coutu died after being airlifted by LifeFlight to the UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester following the accident, which occurred on Northfield Road at approximately 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Shoemaker said.
His wife, Rebecca Coutu, 63, was riding as a passenger and sustained life-threatening injuries. Shoemaker said she was conscious at the scene of the accident and was transported by helicopter.
“The cause of the accident is undetermined at this time,” Shoemaker said Tuesday.
Shoemaker said both people were wearing helmets and required safety gear.
According to Shoemaker, the Warwick Police Department was notified of Steven Coutu’s death the day after the accident. He said he spoke with the couple’s daughter, who informed him that Rebecca Coutu was conscious and speaking at the hospital.
According to Shoemaker, because of the ambiguity of the accident location along Northfield Road near the Northfield town line, the Warwick Police Department, Northfield Police Department and Warwick Fire Department all responded.
“The ambulance arrived on scene within 10 minutes of them being dispatched,” Shoemaker said.
Shoemaker specified the Northfield Police Department arrived within seven minutes, with Warwick Police arriving soon after, and the Warwick Fire Department was on scene within 10 minutes.
Upon arrival, a helicopter was requested to transport the injured couple, according to a post on the Warwick Fire Department’s Facebook page. A landing zone was set up at the Fire Station.
An additional ambulance from Orange Fire Rescue EMS was requested. Due to the severity of the call, a second helicopter was requested to land at the Orange Municipal Airport.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.