A 2001 Chevrolet van which was struck by a train on Pochassic Road was taken to the police impound yard pending completion of an investigation into the crash. (Photo by Carl E. Hartdegen)
WESTFIELD – Two area residents escaped serious injury when a Chevrolet van they were in was struck by a train near Pochassic Road shortly after midnight Monday.
City police report that a caller from CSX Railroad reported at 12:11 a.m. that a train had struck a van. The caller said that nobody on the train was injured.
Pochassic Road does not cross the railroad tracks but the tracks are laid out roughly parallel to parts of the road and they are readily accessible from the road in a few places. The crash occurred toward the near the junction with Prospect Street Extension, near where the road veers away from the railroad tracks.
The van struck in the left rear quarter of the vehicle and was found in a field. The train, with only minor damage, stopped after the impact and lingered in the area for more than an hour.
Officers John Parrish and Ricky Maciorowski arrived within seconds of each other and Parrish reports they found that a male party outside the vehicle who said that he had been pushed out of the way by the van when it was struck.
A female party who had been in the vehicle was ejected from the van by the force of the collision and was found promptly.
The man initially stated that the owner of the vehicle had been driving but the emergency responders found no additional victims despite a thorough search using thermal imaging devices.
Although both parties initially said they were uninjured, both were transported to hospitals.
The male victim, a Wilbraham resident, was transported to Noble Hospital where he was treated and released.
The female party who had also been in the van, a Springfield resident, was taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where she was admitted and reported to be in good condition this morning.
The severely damaged van was towed from the accident scene by Michael’s Towing to the police impound yard pending the completion of the investigation.
