One death and several accidents as Middleboro and Lakeville see heavy snowfall

A Lakeville man suffered cardiac arrest and died after clearing snow and several accidents were reported as a winter storm blanketed Middleboro and Lakeville Sunday, Feb. 9

Emergency services were on high alert for both towns as roughly five inches of snow fell across the south coast, the most in three years.

According to Lakeville Fire Chief Michael O’Brien, family-members called 911 on Sunday after a man collapsed while snow blowing his driveway.

Firefighters responded to the incident and found the man unresponsive after suffering cardiac arrest.

“When firefighters arrived he wasn’t breathing and did not have a pulse, they were able to resuscitate him for a little bit, but lost him again before they got to the hospital,” O’Brien said.

Lakeville firefighters also responded to a van that collided with a tree after sliding off the road on Sunday night. No injuries were reported, fire officials said.

In Middleboro, police responded to three snow-related car accidents.

Both towns prepared for the snow by increasing staffing for emergency services on Feb. 8 and 9 and salting roads ahead of the precipitation.

Middleboro Department of Public Works deployed 55 snow plows at 11 p.m. on Saturday, according to Director Chris Peck. The drivers worked through the night and had roads cleared by 8 a.m.

Lakeville, which has fewer roads managed by the town, sent out 28 plows and had the surfaces ready for vehicles by the morning.  

“This is definitely the most snow we’ve had since 2022,” Peck said.

Both towns will take precautionary measures later this week as the National Weather Service is calling for the possibility of snow on Feb. 13 and 15.