Two other male victims were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with serious injuries.
WESTFIELD –Speed appears to be a factor in a single-car crash on Route 202 that took the life of a 23-year-old city man early Wednesday.
Two males were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with serious injuries following the crash which occurred shortly after 12:15 a.m. near the Russian Evangelist Baptist Church.
Two of the victims, including the man who was fatally injured, were ejected from the car, a 1998 BMW, police said.
Police have yet to release the names of the victims and the ages and hometowns of the survivors were not available. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, Traffic Sgt. Edward Murphy said.
The crash occurred as the BMW drove west on the roadway, also known as North Road, Murphy said. The car crossed over to the eastbound lane, struck a guardrail, crossed back into the westbound lane and then off the roadway.
The BMW came to rest on a dirt pile near the church which is undergoing an expansion, Murphy said.
Police closed that section of the roadway for about 4½ hours while they investigated the crash. A state police accident reconstruction unit is assisting in the investigation.
Murphy said it is not yet known which of the victims was driving the BMW. Additional information, including seat belt usage, was not immediately available.
Murphy said that stretch of roadway is not known for being particularly dangerous. “It’s a pretty straight road,” he said.
The crash marks Westfield’s second traffic fatality in less than a week. A three-vehicle crash last Wednesday afternoon at Route 20 and East Mountain Road took the life 78-year-old Antoinette Stark, of 330 Rock Valley Road, Holyoke.
Murphy said that the Route 20 crash remains under investigation and that charges have not been filed.