SOUTH HADLEY — Investigators were working Wednesday evening to determine the cause of a single-vehicle accident on Granby Road (Route 202) that killed an 83-year-old South Hadley man in the morning.
South Hadley Police Lt. Steve Parentela said authorities were withholding the man’s name until family members could be notified.
The man was near the Second Baptist Church, 589 Granby Road, when he lost control of his Honda Pilot, crossed the double yellow lines and turned the vehicle onto its roof, Parentela said.
The accident was reported to police at 9:25 a.m., and authorities remained on the scene for about two hours, he added.
The victim was taken to Holyoke Medical Center where he died of his injuries, according to police.
There were no other passengers in the vehicle, and no other injuries were reported.
Lori Thomas, the administrator of the Second Baptist Church, said she heard a loud noise outside the sanctuary and looked out the door to see the vehicle, which had been traveling east, “flipped over” on its roof. She called 911 and police and other first responders arrived within minutes, she said.
Irene Roy, who lives across the street from the church, said she also heard the noise and looked out her window. “There were a lot of cars stopped and people all around,” she said, adding that traffic was backed up and did not return to normal for several hours.
This the second fatal accident at nearly the same spot in the past two months. Pedestrian James “Jimmy” Collins, 68, was struck and killed by a vehicle while he was crossing the street near 605 Granby Road about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 4.
Eric Goldscheider contributed to this story.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.