Residents calling for change after second deadly crash on Chicopee Street

CHICOPEE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Residents in the area of Chicopee Street in Chicopee are calling for more to be done to keep people safe after a second deadly crash along the street this week.

“How many deaths is it going to take before somebody does something on this street?” said Susan Santoro of Chicopee.

On Wednesday night, a 62-year-old man was hit by a vehicle while crossing Chicopee Street and later died. Two nights before, on Monday, another man was hit and killed on the same street.

Santoro knew both victims well and she lives on Chicopee Street herself. She said over the past few years she’s lived there, she’s had serious concerns about drivers.

“They will not stop for you. Even though the pedestrians have the right of way, you don’t have a right-of-way on this street,” Santoro noted.

Western Mass News spoke with Chicopee Police Officer Travis Odiorne. He told us pedestrian accidents are top of mind for his department. He said in the past two months, four people have been killed in pedestrian accidents in the city. The first took place on October 8 on Springfield Street and the second occurred on October 29, also on Springfield Street. The two most recent – Monday, November 28 and Wednesday, November 30 – occurred on Chicopee Street.

“I think a lot of it is a 50/50 split between distracted driving and pedestrians not paying attention when they are stepping off the curbs,” Odiorne explained.

Odiorne told us they are now dedicating more time to traffic enforcement in the city.

“Distracted driving and, again, pedestrians…if people are crossing in non-crosswalks, we are going to stop them and address them also,” Odiorne added.

Santoro is asking for speed tables or other measures to be implemented on Chicopee Street. Western Mass News reached out to the mayor’s office and we received a statement that read, in part:

“The Chicopee Police Department is working in tandem with Mayor Vieau in order to review the situation and explore all possible solutions to this problem. No decisions have been made as of yet, as they are working on a strategic plan to tackle the speeding issue.”

In the meantime, officers are asking drivers to put down their phones and pay attention to the roadways. They are also asking for the same attention from pedestrians crossing the road.

Wednesday’s crash is still under investigation. Anyone who witnessed it is asked to reach out to Chicopee Police.

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