NEW SALEM — Two people were killed and several others were injured in a multi-vehicle crash on Daniel Shays Highway (Route 202) in New Salem, Massachusetts, on Friday afternoon.
The crash occurred around 1:59 p.m. on December 6, when the Shelburne Control Dispatch Center received multiple 911 calls reporting a multiple-vehicle, serious injury crash involving at least two vehicles on Daniel Shays Highway, the New Salem Fire Department announced in a statement. Emergency responders, including state police, local fire departments, and EMS, rushed to the scene.
Responding personnel pronounced two individuals, the driver and passenger of one vehicle, deceased at the scene. They were later identified as Gardner residents, ages 89 and 74. Their names have not been released, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office said. Firefighters from New Salem and Orange used the Jaws of Life to free an occupant trapped in one of the other vehicles. That individual was transported to Athol Memorial Hospital and later flown by medical helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Five additional occupants of the vehicles were transported to hospitals.
“This was a challenging, lengthy incident to manage and handle, and all personnel did an excellent job on scene,” the New Salem Fire Department said in a statement.
Route 202 was shut down for several hours while emergency crews worked to clear the scene and investigate. The highway reopened just after 8 p.m.
Officials are asking anyone with information to contact the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office or state police assigned to the Athol barracks.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.