Richmond firefighters examine an overturned tractor-trailer truck near the intersection of Routes 41 and 295 in Richmond yesterday. Photo by Jenn Smith / Berkshire Eagle Staff RICHMOND An Adams man was injured yesterday morning when the tractor trailer truck he was driving rolled over near the intersection of Routes 41 and 295, trapping him inside the cab. Luckily, Eric Poirot, 36, was able to walk away from the one-vehicle accident, which occurred before 8 a.
m. Wayne Kuzia and Nick Barnaby, employees of Dalton-based Climate Heating and Cooling Inc., were driving in front of the Kensworth tractor trailer and saw the accident take place while watching through their rear-view mirror.
"There wasn't much traffic or anything. But he turned the corner and you could see the passenger side tire lift in the rear," said Barnaby. Poirot was turning right to go westbound onto Route 295, before the vehicle rolled and came to skid across the road and onto the sloping shoulder of the eastbound lane.
"We didn't really hear it. But we looked back, and all we could see was a cloud of dust and dirt," said Kuzia. The two men pulled over and used a cell phone to call 911, then ran over to find Poirot trapped upside down in the cab of the truck.
Emergency responders from the Richmond Police and Fire departments, State Police from the Lee barracks, and an ambulance from American Medical Response arrived on the scene. Responders also received assistance from the New York State Police and the Massachusetts Highway Department. Traffic traveling on Route 295, which crosses over the New York State line, was delayed all morning and through the afternoon as crews worked to safely remove the tractor trailer, which was leaking fuel.
The first responders had to use the Jaws of Life to get the driver out of the vehicle. Barnaby and Kuzia also assisted in pulling the ensnared driver out of the cab. Kuzia said that despite the fact that the man's foot was pinned in the wreckage and that his arm and hand were bleeding profusely, the driver was "very aware" of what was going on.
Poirot even asked Conor O'Malley, a Richmond resident who lives nearby and came to the scene, to call and alert his brother Henry Poirot of the accident. The witnesses also said that after being pulled from the cab, the driver was able to walk on his own. "But if it wasn't for cell phones, he would've been all done," said Kuzia.
Poirot was later transported to Berkshire Medical Center so his injuries could be treated. The accident is under investigation by the State Police from Lee. Jenn Smith can be reached at jsmith@berkshireeagle.
com or at (413) 496-6239. Richmond firefighters examine an overturned tractor-trailer truck near the intersection of Routes 41 and 295 in Richmond yesterday.
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