By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer
A West Winfield man died in
a one-car crash Monday night
in the town of Otsego.
James R. Nutt, 30, was
driving north on state Route
28 at high speed when his
vehicle crossed into the southbound
lane, went off the
west shoulder and struck a
tree and a utility pole, according
to state police at Richfield
Springs.
A passing motorist came
upon the crash at 8:24 p.m. and
called 911 from a cell phone,
troopers said.
Nutt, who was alone in the
vehicle, was taken by a Cooperstown
Fire Department ambulance
to Mary Imogene Bassett
Hospital, where he was pronounced
dead.
Nutt, a licensed practical
nurse, was employed at Otsego
Manor until recently, said manor
Administrator Ed Marchi on
Tuesday night.
“The residents and the staff
at the manor certainly are very
shocked and sad about what
happened with Jim,” Marchi
said. “He was just a great employee.”
Nutt founded the Otsego
Manor Men’s Club for manor
residents on his own time and
was well-known for that, Marchi
said.
“He took them on fishing
trips,” Marchi said. “He was
just a great guy.”
The crash investigation is
still continuing, but speed was
a factor, troopers said.
They did not release how fast
they believe Nutt was driving at
the time.
Troopers said they were also
looking into the possibility that
alcohol may have been a factor
and were awaiting toxicology
reports.
Nutt, a member of the West
Exeter Fire Department, is survived
by his wife, Maria, among
many other relatives, according
to his obituary.
