A truck driver was killed after losing control on a steep mountain road and crashing into an old building on Tuesday morning.
It happened in Colrain, Massachusetts, around 8:08 a.m.
Colrain Fire Chief Nicholas Anzuoni told the Greenfield Recorder, that the 10-wheel dump truck was headed into town and “likely lost its brakes” as it descended the steep mountainside road. The truck then veered off the road and crashed head-on into the vacated building.
The driver was killed in the accident.
Crews were able to remove the truck from the side of the building around 10:30 a.m. Two cranes were used in the extrication of the dump truck as crews tried to prevent “further collapse” of the structure.
Upon removal of the truck, the town deemed the building condemned and will likely tear it down.
“You have to respect the mountain,” said Colrain Fire Chief Nicholas Anzuoni
“Truck drivers really have to obey the laws and have to use caution down the mountain,” he continued.
Officials tossed around the idea of additional signage warning truck drivers of the 5-11 percent grades along that stretch of road, along with flashing lights warning truckers to slow down.
Officials are currently looking into the implementation of these types of signs to improve the overall safety of the road in the area.
The site of the dump truck crash was already known to locals as the truck stop, a place where out of control trucks often find themselves landing.
The identity of the deceased driver has not yet been released.