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At approximately 8:45 PM Sunday a Massachusetts State Police Trooper on patrol on Route 202 south in Belchertown attempted to stop a 2011 Nissan Altima. The operator sped away from the Trooper, ran a red light at the intersection with Route 9, then failed to negotiate a left-bearing curve in the roadway and went off the right side of the road.
Preliminary crash reconstruction indicates the Altima struck a mulch bed and became airborne, then subsequently struck a rock wall, a large tree, and a light post before striking the front end of a 2023 Jeep Wrangler that was parked in the driveway of a house at 79 North Main St.
As a result of the impact, the Altima’s engine block was launched out of the engine compartment and became airborne. The engine block traveled through the brick exterior of a house at 73 North Main Street and finally came to rest on the second floor inside the house.
The operator was ejected from the Altima. The Altima’s front end struck the exterior of 79 North Main Street and the car came to rest outside of the building.
A 2020 Buick Envision, which was parked next to the Jeep, also sustained damage during the collision sequence.
The operator, a 19-year-old male, was determined to be deceased at the scene. His name is not being released at this time.
No passengers were in the Altima when the driver fled from the Trooper. No one in the houses was injured.
The crash is under investigation by the State Police-Belchertown Barracks, State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and State Police Detective Unit for Hampshire/Franklin Counties.
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