NORTHFIELD – One person was sent to the hospital and seven others were injured in a multi-vehicle crash on the Route 10 Connecticut River Bridge on Friday afternoon.
At approximately 3:48 p.m. the Northfield Police and Fire Departments, along with Northfield EMS, responded to a call for a motor-vehicle accident. Gill, Bernardston and Warwick departments also responded for assistance, according to the Northfield Police Department’s Facebook Page.
Northfield Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell said Saturday that eight people were injured across five cars — the Northfield Police Department’s Facebook post said there were six cars involved.
“One was serious enough to have to be transported by Northfield EMS to (Baystate Franklin Medical Center),” Dunnell said in a phone call. “The others were okay and signed off that they didn’t need to be transported.”
He said the accident occurred after a sudden, severe rainstorm moved through the area Friday afternoon. Dunnell said wasn’t he exactly sure about the actual events, but the accident covered the bridge in debris. All vehicles had to be towed from the scene.
“Someone may have either slowed or stopped and that caused the mayhem,” Dunnell said. “We had vehicles and parts and pieces and transmissions all over the bridge, plus an oil film.”
Northfield Police Officer Oleg Cobileanschi said Saturday three vehicles were traveling east and three were traveling west when the accident occurred. The person transported to the hospital is a Northfield man.
Dunnell said the cleanup of parts and oil took more than an hour but they were able to reopen the bridge to one lane of traffic.
“We shut the bridge down for about an hour and a half just to clean up all the debris,” Dunnell said. “MassDOT came in with a truck and applied some sand.”
Cobileanschi said the Northfield Police Department’s investigation should be completed by mid-week.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.