Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

47 CRASHES IN
WEST BROOKFIELD, MA
2022

All metrics benchmarked against2021

In 2022, West Brookfield recorded 47 total crashes, a 23.7% increase from the 38 crashes reported in 2021. While overall crashes and the number of people injured rose, the most significant change was the reduction in fatalities, with zero deaths reported in 2022 compared to one fatality in the previous year.

47

23.7%was 38

Total Crash Events

0

-100.0%was 1

Persons Killed

13

62.5%was 8

Persons Injured

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. 1 crash with unreported severity is not shown in the severity breakdown.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

Crash trends in West Brookfield show an increase year-over-year. The total number of crashes rose from 38 in 2021 to 47 in 2022. Similarly, the number of people injured in these incidents increased by 62.5%, from 8 in 2021 to 13 in 2022.

2

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2022

4.3% hit-and-run rate this period vs 0.0% prior. Prior period: 0.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

0

Motorists Killed

Prior: 1-100.0%

13

Motorists Injured

Prior: 862.5%

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)

When Crashes Happen

The temporal patterns of crashes shifted between 2021 and 2022. The peak day for crashes moved from Tuesday (8 crashes) in 2021 to Friday (10 crashes) in 2022. The peak hour for collisions also shifted slightly earlier, from the 5 p.m. hour in 2021 to the 4 p.m. hour in 2022, which saw 5 crashes.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Crash Severity Breakdown

Crash severity saw a notable shift year-over-year, as West Brookfield reported zero fatal crashes in 2022, down from one in 2021. While the number of serious injury crashes remained constant at one, minor injury crashes more than doubled from 3 to 7. Overall, the proportion of crashes involving an injury was slightly higher in 2022.

Outcome by Severity (Crash Events)

Serious Injury1serious injury crashes2.1%
0.0%prior 1
Minor Injury7minor injury crashes14.9%
133.3%prior 3
Possible Injury3possible injury crashes6.4%
-25.0%prior 4
No Injury35no injury crashes74.5%
20.7%prior 29

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · KABCO injury classification scale

Severity Distribution (Crash Events)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Most severe injury per crash record

Top Contributing Factors

The leading reported circumstance in both years was 'No improper driving,' with the count of such crashes increasing from 14 in 2021 to 26 in 2022. Among driver-related factors, crashes attributed to 'Distracted' behavior fell from 4 incidents to 1, and 'Inattention' dropped from 4 to 3. The count for crashes involving a driver 'Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner' remained stable at 2 in both periods.

Officer-Reported Primary Contributing Cause

No improper driving26 (55.3%)85.7%prior 14
Inattention3 (6.4%)
Other improper action2 (4.3%)
Over-correcting/over-steering2 (4.3%)
Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, vehicle, object, vulnerable user in roadway2 (4.3%)
Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless, negligent or aggressive manner2 (4.3%)
Distracted1 (2.1%)
Exceeded authorized speed limit1 (2.1%)
Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road1 (2.1%)
Failed to yield right of way1 (2.1%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Officer-reported primary contributory cause per crash

Road & Environmental Conditions

Crashes predominantly occurred in clear weather and on dry roads in both years, with minimal change in these proportions. However, there was a significant shift in lighting conditions. While the number of daylight crashes was similar (29 in 2021 vs. 27 in 2022), collisions in dark conditions more than doubled, rising from 7 in 2021 to 16 in 2022.

Weather

Clear39 (84.8%)
21.9%prior 32
Cloudy3 (6.5%)
Rain1 (2.2%)
Rain/Severe crosswinds1 (2.2%)
Sleet, hail (freezing rain or drizzle)1 (2.2%)
Snow1 (2.2%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Daylight27 (58.7%)
-6.9%prior 29
Dark - lighted roadway9 (19.6%)
Dark - roadway not lighted6 (13.0%)
Dawn2 (4.3%)
Dark - unknown roadway lighting1 (2.2%)
Dusk1 (2.2%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Lighting condition field

Road Surface

Dry41 (89.1%)
28.1%prior 32
Wet2 (4.3%)
Ice1 (2.2%)
Other1 (2.2%)
Snow1 (2.2%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Road surface condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

The demographics of persons involved in crashes showed a notable shift, with the 65+ age group more than doubling from 6 individuals in 2021 to 14 in 2022. Regarding vehicle makes, Toyota became the most frequently involved make in 2022 with 12 vehicles, up from 5 in the prior year. Chevrolet, the top make in 2021 with 15 vehicles, saw its involvement decrease to 8 vehicles in 2022.

Top Vehicle Makes (69 vehicles)

1
TOYOTA12 (17.4%)
140.0%prior 5
2
JEEP11 (15.9%)
3
CHEVROLET8 (11.6%)
-46.7%prior 15
4
FORD8 (11.6%)
0.0%prior 8
5
SUBARU6 (8.7%)
6
BMW2 (2.9%)
7
RAM2 (2.9%)
8
MITS2 (2.9%)
9
HONDA1 (1.4%)
10
HYUNDAI1 (1.4%)

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Vehicle unit records

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

Sex Distribution (76 persons with recorded sex)

Male47 (61.8%)
14.6%prior 41
Female29 (38.2%)
-9.4%prior 32

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

Analysis of speed zones reveals a shift in crash locations. In 2022, the 40 mph zone was the most common location for crashes with 17 incidents, an increase from 10 in 2021. Crashes in 45 mph zones also more than doubled, rising from 4 to 10. Conversely, crashes in 25 mph zones decreased from 4 incidents in 2021 to 1 in 2022.

Source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV) · Arcgis_yearly Open Data · 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31 · 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: 2022-01-01 through 2022-12-31
  • Report generated: June 21, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2022-01-01 through 2022-12-31 (365 days)
  • Geographic scope: WEST BROOKFIELD, MA
  • Total crash records analyzed: 47
  • Total persons involved: 79
  • Total vehicles involved: 69

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). "WEST BROOKFIELD, MA Crash Intelligence Report: 2022." Published June 21, 2026. Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2022-12-31. Data source: Massachusetts Crash Data (MassDOT CDV), Arcgis_yearly Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/massachusetts/west-brookfield/2022-annual-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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West Brookfield, MA Crash Report — 2022 | ThatCarHitMe.com