Greenwich Woman Injured In Fatal I-95 Dump Truck Accident

MILFORD, CT — A Middletown man, who was driving a dump truck that accidentally became raised, was killed during Thursday morning's accident on Interstate 95 In Milford. A Greenwich woman suffered minor injuries in the accident, which shut down the highway between exits 39 and 40 for seven hours on Thursday.

The accident was reported just before 8 a.m. Thursday. State Police said Susan K. Jackson, 68, of Greenwich, was driving in the center lane on I-95 near the Exit 40 entrance ramp.

Anthony Edward Drozd, 63, of East Congdon Street in Middletown, was driving a dump truck in the right lane just ahead of Jackson's vehicle. At some point, Drozd's dump truck became raised, State Police said, while adding it's likely he had no idea that the "dump body" became raised and it remained in the upright position as he traveled north in the right lane, State Police said.

Jackson saw that the "dump body" was upright as she approached the Quarry Road overpass and as a result began changing lanes to her left to get further away from the dump truck, State Police said.

As Jackson was beginning to change lanes to her left, the dump truck's raised "dump body" collided with the overhead DOT sign/steel structure holding the sign, which read "Exit 41 Marsh Hill Rd. 3/4 mile."

The impact caused Drozd's dump truck to roll over onto its driver's side, at which point he was ejected from the cab of his truck and onto the roadway, State Police said.

After striking the overpass/overhead sign, the dump truck's "dump body" broke free from the truck and twisted around, and at some point Jackson's vehicle collided with it, State Police said.

Jackson's vehicle came to an uncontrolled final stop between the left lane and the median. The dump truck stopped across all three lanes blocking I-95 northbound.

Drozd was found in the road between the center and right lanes. He suffered serious injuries as a result of the accident and was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital. Shortly after his arrival at the hospital he died.

Jackson was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The accident is under investigation.

Photo credit: Milford Fire