Man Who Banged Head in Bus Friday Dies

The Greenwich man who banged his head in a Milford Transit bus in downtown Fairfield on Friday after the bus driver stopped suddenly to avoid striking a Volkswagen car that cut him off has died, police said Monday.

Police identified the man as Francis Defreitas, 68, of East Putnam Avenue.

Police are still trying to locate the driver of the Volkswagen and are seeking additional information on the car as well. The car was described by police on Friday as small and dark red or brown in color, with a tan convertible top.

Police Chief Gary MacNamara said the Volkswagen's driver may not even be aware of the injury that resulted when he or she cut off the bus by the intersection of Reef Road and Post Road in downtown Fairfield about 12:35 p.m. Friday.

"The operator of this non-contact vehicle may not even be aware they caused this incident to occur," MacNamara said on Monday morning. "We need to identify the vehicle so we can identify the operator."

Police are asking anyone who may have seen the vehicle or the incident to contact police at 203-254-4808.

The bus was traveling east on the Post Road in the right-hand lane when the Volkswagen traveled from the left to right lanes and cut it off. The Volkswagen's driver then made a right onto Reef Road and continued south, where it either turned into a parking garage behind a 1499 Post Road commercial building that houses Victoria's Secret, Borders Books and other national retailers or made a right onto Sherman Street. Police immediately checked the parking garage but did not locate the car.

The Volkswagen's sudden turn in front of the bus caused the bus driver to slam on his brakes to avoid a collision, and Defreitas, who was standing inside the bus waiting to get off at a bus stop in front of Sherman Green, was launched inside the bus and struck his head, according to police.

"The vehicle turned in front of the bus, causing the bus to make that sudden, swift stop and jolt. All that activity caused the passenger to lose his grip and balance and he was killed as a result of it," MacNamara said. "He did become a projectile within the bus, causing him to have some pretty significant impact within the bus."

Defreitas was taken from the scene by AMR Ambulance Co. to St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport. Police and firefighters said the passenger had a pulse as he was transported from the scene. Police on Monday said the department was notified Saturday that Defreitas had died. The notification came from the state's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, police said.

MacNamara said witnesses to the incident could not provide additional information on the Volkswagen and probably did not know of the severity of what happened on the bus. "Witnesses saw the vehicle but it didn't have as much impact. They saw a car cut [the bus] off, and that was the end of it," he said.