Westfield man dies after falling into Greenfield sand silo

First responders from across Franklin County responded to Chicopee Concrete Service at 194 Cleveland St. in Greenfield on Friday morning after a 66-year-old Westfield man fell into a silo filled with sand. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Ladder trucks from Greenfield and South Deerfield aid in a rescue attempt of a man trapped in a silo at Chicopee Concrete Service at the end of Cleveland Street in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Members of the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team put on gear for a rescue attempt of a man trapped in a silo at Chicopee Concrete Service at the end of Cleveland Street in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Ladder trucks from Greenfield and South Deerfield aid in a rescue attempt of a man trapped in a silo at Chicopee Concrete Service at the end of Cleveland Street in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Rescue personnel put a basket stretcher onto Greenfield’s ladder truck for a rescue attempt of a man trapped in a silo at Chicopee Concrete Service at the end of Cleveland Street in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Emergency personnel carry buckets up a sand silo for a rescue attempt of a man trapped inside at Chicopee Concrete Service at the end of Cleveland Street in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERIand DOMENIC POLI

Staff Writers

Published: 01-24-2025 10:05 AM

Modified: 02-10-2025 6:18 PM

GREENFIELD — A 65-year-old Westfield man is dead after falling into a sand silo at Chicopee Concrete Service on Friday morning.

Authorities recovered the man’s body about 4:30 p.m. in a silo at a worksite off Cleveland Street that the company uses to mix dry ingredients for cement. Coworkers said the man, who authorities have not yet identified, had climbed to the top of a tower when they realized he appeared to be missing and did not answer a radio call, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.

Emergency personnel were requested to respond at around 9 a.m., starting what would become a lengthy extrication effort. More than 50 police officers and firefighters from multiple local departments responded alongside the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team, Massachusetts State Police, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and a special operations team from the state Department of Fire Services. Greenfield Department of Public Works crews brought a vacuum truck.

Good Samaritans joined emergency responders, running to and from the site with Home Depot buckets and rope, in a scene that resident David Moscaritolo described as “all hands on deck.”

“It’s treacherous up there, and they’re trying. It’s very dangerous for the firemen,” Moscaritolo, who serves on the Public Safety Commission, said at approximately 9:40 a.m. “They’re doing everything they can to pull him out of there.”

First responders initially called for a medical helicopter, which landed at the landing zone adjacent to Baystate Franklin Medical Center. It was later released from the scene as the rescue operation turned into a recovery.

“[The] rescue was too risky,” Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan said at roughly 10:45 a.m.

A dispatcher for Chicopee Concrete Service declined to comment on the incident. Representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) could not be reached immediately for comment. According to the DA’s office, the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

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