Victim identified in Greenfield worksite death

Members of the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team gear up for a rescue attempt of a man trapped in a silo at Chicopee Concrete Service at the end of Cleveland Street behind Sandri Energy on Chapman Street.

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

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

Staff Writer

Published: 01-27-2025 5:12 PM

Modified: 02-10-2025 6:16 PM


GREENFIELD — The Northwestern District Attorney’s Office has identified Matthew Nedorostek as the 65-year-old man from Westfield who died Friday morning after he fell into a sand-filled silo at Chicopee Concrete Service.

After a nearly eight-hour rescue and recovery effort by more than 50 police and firefighters from across the county, authorities recovered Nedorostek at around 4:30 p.m. from the silo at a worksite off Cleveland Street that the company uses to mix dry ingredients for cement.

Coworkers said Nedorostek 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 DA’s office.

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.” 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 around 10:45 a.m. on Friday.

According to the DA’s office, the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine Nedorostek’s cause of death.

A dispatcher for Chicopee Concrete Service declined to comment on the incident Friday. Representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) could not be reached for comment.

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.

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