by David Flint
Young people in the Eastwick area have lost yet another of their friends in a tragic traffic accident. Bad weather and treacherous road conditions took the life of Berlin resident Natasha Shuhart, 27, following a collision on Route 22 in North Stephentown last Saturday afternoon, January 25.
[private]State Police reported that the accident occurred about 4:30 pm just north of Hemlock Ridge Road. Shuhart was driving north on Route 22 and apparently lost control of her car, a 2002 Chevrolet, on the slippery, snow covered roadway. The car spun around into the opposite lane and was hit in the rear by Wendell Chandler, 54, driving southbound in a 2003 Dodge pickup with a snowmobile trailer in tow. Police said that Chandler, who has a Florida driver license, was not charged with anything but the accident is still under investigation.
Rik McClave, Assistant Chief of the Stephentown Fire Department, gave credit to the Department’s responders who, he said, did a fantastic job in extricating Shuhart quickly from the wreck and preparing her for transport. The Stephentown ambulance was then met en route to Berkshire Medical Center by paramedics from County Ambulance. Sadly, Shuhart died from her injuries the next day.
McClave said the driver and passenger in the pickup truck were not injured.
McClave noted that this was the second major accident this month for the SVFD. Two weeks ago a car slid off Gentile Road into a tree. A young woman from Massachusetts was severely injured in that accident.
Besides a loving family and many friends, Natasha Shuhart leaves behind a young daughter, Jasmine. One of her friends, Stanley Pettibone II of Berlin, has set up a fund “for anyone who would like to give a little towards Tasha’s final expenses and to help Jazzy get a college fund started.” It is called the Natasha and Jazzy Fund and can be found on Gofundme.com. Pettibone said that if anyone would like to make a donation offline they can also mail it to him at P.O. Box 174, Berlin, NY, 12022.[/private]