
Staff member killed in Jacob's Pillow accident identified; no charges will be filed
Sirico, 40, of Rochester, NY, and a summer intern were moving platforms across the Jacob's Pillow property in Becket early Friday afternoon when the accident happened, according to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office. Platforms, which are used for staging a theater, were on a dolly, and Sirico and the intern were moving the dolly downhill. They lost control of the dolly. As Sirico tried to stop the dolly, they tripped and fell. The dolly ran over Sirico and the platforms fell off the dolly and landed on them.
Bystanders tried life-saving measures and the Becket Police Department and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene. After investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit, the Berkshire District Attorney's Office determined that no criminal charges will be filed.
Jacob's Pillow is a performance space and dance school in Becket. Each summer, it hosts a nine-week dance festival that includes more than 50 dance companies and features performances, talks, exhibits and more. Jacob's Pillow canceled the performances scheduled to take place in the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival on Friday.
The Pillow is a 200-acre National Historic Landmark. The farm was bought in 1931 by Ted Shawn, a modern dance pioneer who wanted to legitimize dance in the United States. He created a dance company of eight men in 1933 and began giving "Tea Lecture Demonstrations," which was the foundation of the organization's current dance festival.

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