Pittsfield, MA
Adrien Chalifoux, 77, the founder of Adrien's Diner on Wahconah Street, a popular late-night eatery, was struck by a car and killed in front of his home last night, just feet from the old-school diner that bears his name.

The accident happened around 6:30, when a maroon Ford driven by William M. Shepard, 66, of North Adams was traveling toward North Street on Wahconah and veered out of the lane, striking Chalifoux.

Witnesses said Chalifoux was getting into a dark blue Ford Explorer with Connecticut plates when Shepard's car smashed into him, pinning him between the two vehicles.

"We were driving the other way, and I heard a huge screech and then 'Bang,' " said Cody Quail, 17, who was heading in the opposite direction on Wahconah with his friend Lance King at the time of the crash. "The way he was on the ground ... it didn't look good. He got hit hard. His legs got pinned underneath him."

Shepard's car then jumped the curb and continued down Wahconah for a block.

"The car almost struck the restaurant. It was this close," said King, who measured a length with his fingers 6 inches wide.

Police sectioned off Wahconah while rescue crews feverishly worked on Chalifoux's chest. They placed him in an ambulance and rushed off to Berkshire Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.

At the scene, a lone sneaker lay underneath the Explorer, and car insulation was scattered about the area.

Police questioned Shepard and his passenger at the scene, asking them to re-create the accident. The Explorer that Chalifoux was entering was an inch from the curb, at least 6 feet from the white shoulder line. The police investigation was still ongoing as of last night, but a spokesman said charges are likely.

Quail and King wondered how someone could strike a vehicle that was so far from the lane.

"He must have been out of control," Quail said of Shepard.

Within minutes, teary-eyed family members arrived at the Chalifoux home, a blue bungalow that sits next to the diner. One man entered the home and assisted Chalifoux's wife, Carolyn, to an idling car, which then sped off to the hospital.

The husband and wife were a team, having retired from the restaurant business in 2001 after 42 years.

"It's in our blood," Chalifoux told The Eagle that year. "We've done it all our life."

The couple started in 1959 with the Paradise Restaurant, next to the old State Theater at 424 North St. They eventually moved to 262 North St., calling it the New Paradise, before buying the current location in 1971. Family members took over the business when they retired.

When Quail and King heard that it was the owner who had been killed, they looked upset — the two had spent many a late night eating at the greasy spoon.

"Man," Quail said, "the food there is mad good."

A number of residents in the area gathered on the street corners. Richard Hover, a former candidate for mayor, said that everyone knew Adrien Chalifoux as a likable, honest, hard-working man who served some of the best comfort food around.

"Oh, yeah, everyone knows Adrien," Hover said. "He's a real good guy."

Originally published online here: http://origin.berkshireeagle.com/headlines/ci_6050266