NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A local police officer was taken to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon after his cruiser was involved in a collision on Church Street.
School Resource Officer Fran Maruco was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, where he was treated for contusions and a head injury.
North Adams Police posted an update on its Facebook page later in the evening:
"Just an update on the m/v accident involving Officer Maruco. He is doing pretty well. Several bumps and bruises, very sore. Checked out at BMC. Should be returning home soon. The driver of the other vehicle is expected to be OK, too. A speedy recovery to all. Thank you for your thoughts and best wishes."
The two-car accident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. at the intersection of Church and West Shaft Road. Maruco was reportedly leaving Drury High School and heading north. The state police accident reconstruction team was at the scene and state police were assisting with traffic control.
The front of the North Adams cruiser was heavily damaged, and the impact appeared to be on the front driver's side. The second car, a Mercury sport-utility vehicle, also sustained heavy front-end driver's side damage, with the front panel torn from the car. The windshield was fractured on the driver's side.
Church Street was closed to through traffic from Hodges Cross Road to Ashland Street for several hours during the investigation. West Shaft Road was also closed.
The detours slowed traffic to a crawl along State Street, with cars backed up past Walmart on Curran Highway to the south.
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