It's the first day of school in Agawam, and as classes began Thursday morning, one student lay injured in the hospital while his classmates anxiously hoped for his full recovery.

"I was hoping that he was okay and he can still play sports, because he's very good at what he does in sports," said a friend and swimming teammate of Jesse Shepard, 12, who was injured while riding his bicycle to Agawam Junior High School.
Friends and classmates said they learned via a school-wide announcement Thursday afternoon that Shepard was injured while traveling to school. Police said the accident happened at around 7:30 a.m. in front of 242 South Westfield Street in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam.

Police said the boy was riding down a steep hill on a bike with no brakes. Police also added the boy was not wearing a helmet when he started on a collision course with a dump truck filled with sand.

"It's a very very steep hill, and he was coming down that hill on a bicycle, and apparently couldn't stop," said Chief Robert Campbell of the Agawam Police Department.

Police said the boy crashed into the side of the truck, adding that witness statements show that the driver of the truck, who was uninjured in the crash, took evasive measures to avoid hitting the boy.

"From what we gathered, the way this guy maneuvered the vehicle was just unbelievable - trying to get out of this kid's way and not hit oncoming traffic," Campbell said.

But the truck did land on its side after crashing into a utility pole. The impact caused a power outage, while the load of sand poured onto Route 187.

Nearby residents woke up to the crash.

"I heard a loud pop," said Karla Young.

Traffic on Route 57 West was diverted onto Garden Street for about seven hours as crews cleaned up the mess. Meanwhile, Shepard's classmates waited for information from school officials on their friend's condition.

"[The announcement said] he should come back to school once he's fully recovered. Hopefully that's soon. It's very sad though," said Alyssa Smith, a fellow seventh grader at Agawam Junior High School.

Classmates told CBS 3 Shepard suffered a skull fracture and a broken arm, among other injuries. Police said he underwent surgery Thursday afternoon at Baystate Medical Center and is expected to recover.

Police are urging drivers to be extra cautious on the roads because children are still riding bikes and skateboards during this time of year.

Massachusetts State Police special operations units are still investigating the crash. The driver of the dump truck was not charged.