PITTSFIELD — A citizen initiative prompted by the death of 87-year-old Luis Chin, who died after being struck while crossing Dalton Avenue, has produced a report calling for more pedestrian protections and lower speeds along the busy street.
“It is imperative that we take lessons learned from why this crash took place and take steps to prevent another from happening,” says the report, presented to the City Council last month and referred to the city Department of Public Works. “This is to both honor the life of Luis and to make sure that no further lives are lost unnecessarily.”
According to Massachusetts Department of Transportation data, since January 2020, there have been more than 90 reported crashes along the lower section of Dalton Avenue, with 19 causing injury. Chin’s death, which happened on June 20 when he was struck by a car while crossing Dalton Avenue near Dartmouth Street, was the first fatality reported along that stretch in that time frame.