Pittsfield Man Hospitalized After E-Motorcycle Crash on Wahconah Street

A 22-year-old Pittsfield man was transported to Berkshire Medical Center from potentially life-threatening injuries after being hit by a car on Wahconah Street Tuesday afternoon, according to a press release by the Pittsfield Police Department.

Police, fire crews, and Action Ambulance responded to the 400 block of Wahconah Street around 2:55 PM for a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. When officers got there, they found Girey Rivera lying in the northbound lane with obvious injuries.

But it turns out Rivera wasn't on foot. He was riding an e-motorcycle southbound on Wahconah Street and tried to cut between stopped traffic to cross into the northbound lane. That's when he was hit by a 2014 Honda CR-V driven by Louis Baker of Lanesborough, who was heading north at the time.

Baker wasn't hurt in the crash. Rivera was transported to Berkshire Medical Center with injuries described as potentially life-threatening.

The crash shut down Wahconah Street for about four hours, between Wilson Street and Bel Air Avenue, while police investigated and cleared the scene. The road reopened around 7:00 PM.

E-bikes and e-motorcycles have become a lot more common on Berkshire County roads over the last couple years, and crashes like this one are a reminder that drivers need to stay alert for them, especially around stopped traffic where riders might try to slip through gaps. A little extra caution at busier stretches like Wahconah Street could go a long way.

Pittsfield Police's Traffic Unit is still investigating. If you saw the crash happen, or if you saw Baker's CR-V on Wahconah Street shortly before it happened, investigators want to hear from you. You can reach Sergeant David Hallas at 448-9700, extension 56.