WORCESTER—City officials said emergency crews arrived within five minutes after a 92-year-old West Tatnuck woman was found outside her home earlier this month, while a neighbor described icy conditions on the steep residential street that she said made access difficult in the days after a major snowstorm.
Alla Sipiagov was found outside her home on Assabet Lane on Feb. 2, days after a winter weather event that blanketed Worcester with more than 22 inches of snow.
According to records provided by the city, dispatch received the call at 12:19 p.m. Fire crews were en route within approximately one minute and 15 seconds and arrived at 12:24 p.m., roughly five minutes after dispatch.
“After a review of the incident, there was no delay in response by the Fire Department or EMS,” the city said in a statement provided by Tom Matthews, media and public relations administrator for City Manager Eric D. Batista. “The Worcester Fire Department was on scene within 5 minutes of dispatch to render care and assist EMS with transport of the individual.”
Police officials also reported no documented access issues preventing emergency vehicles from reaching the scene.
Neighbor Amy Freeman said her concerns focus not on dispatch times but on the condition of Assabet Lane in the days leading up to the incident.
Assabet Lane, she said, “remained icy and snow covered” for nearly a week after the storm, describing it as “a continuous sheet of snow and ice on a rather steep residential hill.”
Freeman said emergency vehicles “experienced significant difficulty due to the ice and snow,” and that both arrival and exit were affected by conditions on the incline. She said Ring camera footage shows responders navigating the hill under icy conditions and residents assisting by spreading ice melt to help vehicles exit safely.
“The primary issue was the lack of timely treatment of a clearly hazardous residential street after reports were made,” Freeman said in a written response to the Worcester Guardian.
City records show one 311 service request related to Assabet Lane between Jan. 25 and Feb. 6, concerning a snowbank covering a stop sign. That request was closed the same day.
In a Feb. 10 report to the City Council, Department of Public Works Commissioner John Westerling detailed the scale of the city’s snow response, noting that 72 municipal plows, nearly 290 private contractor plows and six MassDOT plows operated for approximately 32 continuous hours during the Jan. 23–26 storm.
“While no winter storm response is without difficulty, the Department’s actions were consistent with established practices for an event of this scale,” Westerling wrote.
District 5 Councilor Jose Rivera, whose district includes West Tatnuck, said snow operations have been discussed at city council meetings throughout the winter season and encouraged residents to contact his office directly if concerns persist.
Freeman said she hopes the incident prompts a broader conversation about how steep neighborhood streets are prioritized during storms and how residents living alone can be better supported during severe weather.
Steep residential streets, she said, “require proactive attention during winter storms because they directly affect walkability and emergency access.”
City Manager Batista said the city was “extremely saddened to hear of this woman’s passing” and urged residents to check on neighbors during extreme weather. Anyone concerned about a neighbor’s safety should contact the Worcester Police Department’s non-emergency line or call 911 in an emergency, he said.
