WESTFIELD – A 21-year-old Chicopee resident died Sunday night after his vehicle glanced off another vehicle and then struck a tree on the north shoulder of North Road (Route 202).
Westfield Police identified the victim of the 8:48 p.m. accident as Emmanuel Almonte. Two passengers in Almonte’s vehicle were transported to area hospitals.
The 8:48 p.m. accident is being investigated by the Westfield Police Department Traffic Bureau and the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Team.
Westfield Police report that Almonte was traveling eastbound behind the vehicle of several friends, retuning from a gathering in Huntington, when the line of vehicle slowed because the front vehicle was attempting to make a left turn onto Jaeger Drive.
Almonte was attempting to pass the line of traffic when his vehicle struck the vehicle turning onto Jaeger Drive. Almonte’s vehicle ricocheted off the turning vehicle and slammed into a tree, causing significant damage to Almonte’s vehicle.
Westfield Police Captain Michael McCabe said that investigators have determined “that speed was a factor in the accident.”
The accident remains under investigation. McCabe said that additional information will be released as it becomes available.
