MONTAGUE — An elderly man was airlifted to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening after the roof of a carport collapsed on him outside his home at 43 Highland Ave. on Monday afternoon.
Montague Center Fire Chief Luke Hartnett said the man was conscious and seemingly “in good spirits” when rescue crews extricated him from the collapsed structure. The incident saw a multi-agency response from the Montague Center Fire, Turners Falls Fire and Montague Police departments, as well as American Medical Response (AMR).
“He was on his tractor, and somehow the garage let go. I can’t comment on exactly what caused that to happen, whether it was the weight of the snow or something else, but [his family] was able to call 911 expeditiously and got us here as soon as possible,” Hartnett said. “All of us working together, we moved the roof off of the gentleman and were able to get him down, get him to a backboard. … He was conscious and alert, in good spirits. They’re going to evaluate him out of protocol and get him checked out. It was a good multi-agency collaboration.”
Concerns that the collapse might have been more severe prompted a call to the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team, which was later canceled, Hartnett added.
Josh Sharon, who identified himself as the fiance of the patient’s granddaughter, said the man was cleaning snow in the carport at the time it collapsed.
AMR transported the man to the Turners Falls Municipal Airport, where he boarded a medical flight. Montague Police Chief Jason Haskins, noting that this was done out of an “abundance of caution,” commended his fellow first responders on a prompt response.
“I’m very pleased with the collaboration between all the departments,” Haskins said. “Many hands make light work. I think, fortunately, we had enough people on scene to show up and make this a positive outcome.”