Driver Flees Scene After An Early Morning Crash in North Adams (update)

*Update to the original story below (including the identification of the driver):

*MCLA campus police arrested a Vermont man whose vehicle was found rolled over in the Hoosac Hall parking lot shortly before 1 AM yesterday. 41-year-old James Cote, of Shaftsbury, fled the scene after jumping a curb, hitting both a sign and a tree, and then rolling over after entering the Hoosac Hall Parking Lot. Cote was traveling south on Church Street when he left the roadway. He was arrested after treatment at BMC in Pittsfield and is facing several charges including driving under the influence. 

Original story:

There's not a whole lot of information on a developing story in North Adams about a one-vehicle accident involving what was described as a van, a parked car, and a tree. The information here was posted on the North Adams 911 Facebook page, and does not come from the North Adams Police department, therefore it's not official... but here's what we know.

Multiple agencies respond to the early morning crash in North Adams...

The North Adams Fire Department, North Adams Police Department, and Northern Berkshire Emergency Medical Services were called to the scene of a one-car motor vehicle accident on Church Street in North Adams near Hoosac Hall. The accident occurred around 12:45 AM according to the information that is available.

The accident involved an SUV, a parked car, and a tree...

The vehicle, some type of SUV, was traveling south on Church Street when it apparently left the road and then sheared off a tree, striking a parked car, and then causing the vehicle to then spin and roll over onto its side. The driver, who reportedly fled the scene, was apprehended a short time later and then taken to Berkshire Medical Center's main campus in Pittsfield.

These photos were taken by Nick Mantello, who serves as the official photographer for the North Adams Fire Department:

Get our free mobile app

(All of the above photos are used with permission of Nick Mantello, official photographer of the North Adams Fire Department)

Information on the driver, whose name was not known at the time of this article, was not available. There was also no official information as to the cause or as to whether speed or alcohol was a factor in the crash.

*This story was updated on Wednesday, March 16, 2022.