WARE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -
One person is dead following a crash Thursday morning in Ware.
Mary Carey, spokesperson for the Northwestern District Attorney's office, said that one man died after he was struck by a garbage truck around 9:30 a.m. on Church Street.
Carey added that the victim, whose name has not been released, was working in his yard when the truck driver lost control of the vehicle.
That trash truck came to a stop on a lawn, was heavily damaged, and also hit a telephone pole.
That pole is down and National Grid is on-scene to cut the power so emergency crews can work.
Neighbors told Western Mass News that the accident was a terrifying experience. With limited amounts of information following the tragedy, residents said they were scared.
"We were coming to work this morning when we saw what was going on and then we heard all different stories. So that makes it even worse that you don't know what's happening you don't know if you might know the people," said Sue Buban.
Church Street is currently closed near Pleasant Street. Motorists are advised to avoid the area if possible.
Western Mass News has reached out to Leboeuf Rubbish who owns the truck that crashed about the incident and they had no comment.
The driver of the truck was taken to Baystate Mary Lane Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
Carey noted that the crash remains under investigation by Ware Police, troopers assigned to the D.A.'s office, the Mass. State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and the State Police Crime Scene Services.
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WARE, MASS.
The victim in a fatal crash in Ware Thursday was a longtime school psychologist at Shepherd Hill Regional High School in Dudley.
Stephen M. Peters, 62, of Hardwick, was identified Friday by the Northwestern district attorney’s office as the man who was struck and killed by a garbage truck around 9:30 a.m. Thursday on Church Street. The district attorney’s office said he was working in the yard of a house he co-owns in Ware to prepare it for new tenants when the garbage truck driver lost control of the vehicle. The driver was taken to Mary Lane Hospital in Ware for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Mr. Peters was school psychologist at Shepherd Hill for 27 years, according to Dudley-Charlton Regional School District Superintendent Gregg Desto. Mr. Desto said in an email Friday night that Mr. Peters was one of the truly good people in the district and the education business overall.
“He was all about the kids,” Mr. Desto said. “A steady hand with so many kids who counted on him to help them succeed.”
Mr. Desto said Mr. Peters was an “unbelievable support and resource” for staff; he was knowledgeable and never too busy to sit down with a colleague to offer support.
“We will miss him terribly,” Mr. Desto said. “Our world needs more people like Steve Peters.”
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Man doing yard work killed when garbage truck runs off road
AP,
July 21, 2017
WARE, Mass. (AP) — Authorities say a Massachusetts man was doing yard work when the driver of a garbage truck lost control of the vehicle, striking and killing him.
The district attorney’s office has identified 62-year-old Stephen F. Peters of Hardwick as the man killed in Thursday morning’s accident in Ware.
The truck went off the side of the road and also struck and knocked down a utility pole.
The driver has not been identified, but was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Local and state police are investigating.
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WARE, MASS. - The man killed Thursday when struck by an out-of-control trash truck has been identified as Stephen F. Peters, 62, of Hardwick, according to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.
He was struck at about 9:30 a.m. on Church Street.
The trash truck went off the road and struck Peters.
Photos from the scene show the truck off the side of the road and on an embankment. An electrical pole was also knocked down.
Ware police, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office, the state police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the state police Crime Scene Services and the state police commercial Vehicle Enforcement System are investigating.