COLRAIN — A Colrain man was hospitalized with neck pain Wednesday afternoon after snowy road conditions caused a two-vehicle crash on Dwight Cross Road.

According to Massachusetts State Police Trooper Eric Baumann, a black Toyota Tacoma pickup truck was heading east along Dwight Cross Road when it collided with a white Chevrolet Cruze driven by Colrain resident William Ryan. Baumann and Russell Ryan, who is William’s brother and was in the Chevrolet’s back seat, said the Tacoma’s driver slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting an ambulance that was parked nearby, at which time it lost control along the unplowed downhill curve of Dwight Cross Road’s eastbound lane.

The nearby Colrain Ambulance responded and other emergency responders were notified at around 1:30 p.m.

William Ryan was conscious and alert when strapped into a gurney. He was experiencing neck pain, Baumann said. Shelburne Falls Ambulance responded roughly an hour after the crash to transport Ryan to Baystate Franklin Medical Center after the Colrain Ambulance had a malfunction with its loading apparatus, Baumann reported.

Russell Ryan identified a third occupant of the Chevrolet as his brother’s wife, Joan Ryan. He said Joan, who had to be helped out of the passenger side of the car due to the door being blocked by a snowbank, was entirely unscathed following the crash. Russell Ryan sustained facial bruising due to the crash lurching him into the passenger seat’s headrest.

“I’m going to end up having a black eye out of it,” he said.

Other responding agencies included Colrain and Heath fire departments, as well as the Colrain Department of Public Works, which provided a plow for the road. Stagecoach Auto Repair towed the Chevrolet, which sustained minor front-end damage, moderate damage to the driver’s side and was wedged into the roadside snowbank. The Toyota received minor front-end damage and a bent front wheel on the driver’s side, but did not require a tow, according to Baumann. Rather, those at the scene helped “limp it up into the driveway” nearby. Baumann noted that both the Toyota’s driver and the Ryan family live just up the road.

Baumann said the incident was “absolutely weather-related” and charges are not expected to be filed.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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