PITTSFIELD, Mass. — East Street north of Junction Road was closed off Monday afternoon after a vacuum truck apparently pulled down wires and at least one utility pole.
The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. near J.H. Maxymillian Inc. and involved two other vehicles.
Truck, branded to Maxymillian, apparently caught on a utility pole, pulling it down on top of cars. A second pole may also have affected.
According to scanner reports, one of the poles "completely snapped" with a vehicle underneath it and wires were down in two locations.
A Hyundai Tucson's roof was smashed in at the rear and the back window broken. A Honda apparently hit or was hit by a pole based on the damage to its front end.
The bottom of the pole was hanging near the Honda and the top appeared caught on the suction boom of the vacuum truck in the other lane.
The Fire Department initially responded but cleared the scene about a half hour later. Both Verizon and Eversource responded to the scene.
It's not clear if anyone was injured in the accident. The Hyundai was being towed away around 4 p.m.; the truck and Honda were still in place.
Traffic was being detoured over Junction Road between East Street and Merrill Road; northbound traffic was backed up down East Street and an officer was directing traffic.
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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.
The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics.
The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.
"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.
Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.
Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.
"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."
Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.
Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.
All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.
"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."
Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.
"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."
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