Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis

21 CRASHES IN
SOUTH HADLEY, MA
OCTOBER 2024

All metrics benchmarked againstOctober 2023

In October 2024, South Hadley experienced 21 crashes, a 75% increase compared to the 12 crashes recorded in October 2023. The most notable year-over-year shift was the increase in total crashes, accompanied by a rise in DUI-related incidents from 0 to 2.

21

75.0%was 12

Total Crash Events

0

Persons Killed

3

Persons Injured

3

50.0%was 2

Hit-and-Run Crashes

Note: "Persons Killed" (0) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (0) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities. 3 crashes with unreported severity are not shown in the severity breakdown.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Overall, crash incidents in South Hadley saw a significant increase, rising from 12 crashes in October 2023 to 21 crashes in October 2024. This represents a 75% increase in total crashes year-over-year.

3

Hit-and-Run Crashes — October 2024

50.0% vs prior (2)

Hit-and-run crashes increased from 2 in October 2023 to 3 in October 2024. However, the overall hit-and-run crash rate decreased from 16.7% in the prior period to 14.3% in the current period, indicating a downward trend in their proportion of total crashes.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 00.0%

0

Other Killed

Prior: 00.0%

1

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 0%

1

Motorists Injured

Prior: 3-66.7%

1

Other Injured

Prior: 0%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)

When Crashes Happen

The temporal distribution of crashes shifted year-over-year. In October 2024, the peak day for crashes was Saturday with 6 incidents, while in October 2023, Wednesday had the most crashes with 3. The peak hour also changed, with 4 crashes occurring at 12 p.m. in the current period, compared to 3 crashes at 2 p.m. in the prior period.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

There were no fatalities in either October 2023 or October 2024. The total number of injuries remained stable at 3 in both periods. Minor injury crashes accounted for 14.3% of all crashes in October 2024, a slight decrease from 16.7% in October 2023, while possible injury crashes, which were 8.3% in October 2023, were not reported in October 2024.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Minor Injury3minor injury crashes14.3%
50.0%prior 2
No Injury15no injury crashes71.4%
114.3%prior 7

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

Comparing contributing factors, 'No improper driving' crashes increased from 1 in October 2023 to 5 in October 2024. 'Inattention' also saw an increase from 2 crashes in the prior period to 3 crashes in the current period, while 'Followed too closely' decreased from 2 crashes to 1 crash. Factors like 'Failed to yield right of way' (3 crashes) and 'Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road' (2 crashes) appeared as new significant contributors in October 2024, whereas 'Distracted' (2 crashes) and 'Made an improper turn' (1 crash) were present in October 2023 but not explicitly listed in the current period's top factors.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving5 (23.8%)
Inattention3 (14.3%)
Failed to yield right of way3 (14.3%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road2 (9.5%)
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway1 (4.8%)
Operating defective equipment1 (4.8%)
Other improper action1 (4.8%)
Followed too closely1 (4.8%)
Illness1 (4.8%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

Clear weather remained the dominant condition for crashes, increasing from 8 incidents in October 2023 to 20 in October 2024. Daylight conditions also saw an increase in associated crashes, from 9 in October 2023 to 13 in October 2024, with a notable rise in crashes occurring in 'Dark - lighted roadway' conditions from 0 to 5. Road surface conditions data was not available for the current period, preventing a year-over-year comparison for this aspect.

Weather

Clear20 (95.2%)
150.0%prior 8
Cloudy1 (4.8%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight13 (61.9%)
44.4%prior 9
Dark - lighted roadway5 (23.8%)
Dark - roadway not lighted1 (4.8%)
Dark - unknown roadway lighting1 (4.8%)
Dawn1 (4.8%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Lighting condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

Top Vehicle Makes (33 vehicles)

1
HONDA6 (18.2%)
2
SUBARU4 (12.1%)
3
FORD4 (12.1%)
4
TOYOTA3 (9.1%)
5
CHEVROLET2 (6.1%)
6
NISSAN2 (6.1%)
7
HYUNDAI2 (6.1%)
8
VOLKSWAGEN1 (3%)
9
BUIC1 (3%)
10
DEER1 (3%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Vehicle unit records

8 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.

Sex Distribution (34 persons with recorded sex)

Male20 (58.8%)
100.0%prior 10
Female14 (41.2%)
100.0%prior 7

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

Crashes in the 30 mph speed limit zone increased from 6 in October 2023 to 10 in October 2024. The 35 mph zone also saw an increase from 2 crashes to 4 crashes. Additionally, crashes in the 50 mph zone doubled from 1 to 2. The 25 mph zone, which had 3 crashes in October 2023, did not appear in the current period's data, while the 40 mph zone, with 4 crashes, was new to the current period's data.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31 · Posted speed limit at crash location

Data Sources & Methodology

Primary Data Source

All crash data in this report is sourced from Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), accessed programmatically via the Arcgis_yearly Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.

Data Retrieval

  • Access method: Arcgis_yearly Open Data API (SoQL queries)
  • Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
  • Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
  • Date filter applied: 2024-10-01 through 2024-10-31
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2024-10-01 through 2024-10-31 (31 days)
  • Geographic scope: SOUTH HADLEY, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 21
  • Total persons involved: 42
  • Total vehicles involved: 33

Analytical Methodology

  • Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
  • Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
  • Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
  • Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
  • Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
  • Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
  • AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.

Limitations & Disclaimers

  • Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
  • Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
  • Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
  • AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
  • Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.

Non-Affiliation Disclosure

This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.

Data License

The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.

Corrections & Feedback

If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.

Suggested Citation

ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "SOUTH HADLEY, MA Crash Intelligence Report: October 2024." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2024-10-01 to 2024-10-31. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/south-hadley/october-2024-report

About the Publisher

ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.

Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai

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South Hadley, MA Crash Report — October 2024 | ThatCarHitMe.com