On Thursday October 2nd at approximately 10:34pm the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office responded to a fatal motorcycle collision on the Route 7 southbound lane in Great Barrington. At 10:17pm a 911 call was placed reporting a motorcycle collision on Route 7 between the Great Barrington Recycling Center and the Monument Mountain Trustees Reservation parking lot. The motorcyclist was later identified as Wyeth Curtis (20 years old). Mr. Curtis was operating a Kawasaki motorcycle.
When law enforcement arrived, they discovered both the motorcyclist and a moose on the pavement in the southbound lane. Initial investigations showed that a moose stepped onto the southbound lane and was struck by the motorcyclist. Early investigations show that both the moose and motorcyclist died due to impact. The moose appeared to have fallen at the point of impact. The motorcyclist struck the pavement just south of the moose.
Based on evidence from the scene, the motorcycle (without driver) continued to travel southbound after the collision eventually coming to rest in the northbound lane. Two additional vehicles that were traveling in the northbound lane, a Subaru Forester and a Honda Civic, also suffered a collision in the northbound lane. Early investigations show the cause of this collision was related to the motorcycling laying in the northbound lane.
Law enforcement and emergency response included the Great Barrington Police Department; Southern Berkshire EMS; the Massachusetts State Police Troop B; the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office; and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section.