Physical Altercation In Truck Leads To Crash On I-95 In Greenwich: State Police

GREENWICH, CT —A Florida man was arrested Sunday after police say he got into a physical altercation with passengers inside a truck, which caused a crash on Interstate 95 in Greenwich.

The arrestee, a 46-year-old man from Lake Worth, Fla., was charged with third-degree assault, two counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, and failure to maintain lane — all misdemeanors, according to the Connecticut State Police.

The man was held on a $5,000 cash/surety bond and transferred to the custody of the CT Department of Correction pending his scheduled arraignment at Stamford Superior Court Monday.

On May 12 at approximately 4:31 p.m., CT State Troopers responded to a report of a one-vehicle crash involving a box truck on I-95 southbound in the area of Exit 5 in Greenwich, state police said in a news release. Greenwich police also responded.

"Upon arriving at the scene, investigators learned that the collision occurred during a physical altercation between the vehicle’s operator and two adult passengers," state police said in a news release.

The two passengers in the vehicle explained that they were all coworkers. The two passengers further explained that an argument began when the driver, who is the arrestee, stopped at a shopping plaza after driving for several hours, state police said.

According to the passengers, the arrestee left the truck briefly to purchase food and quickly returned to leave and continue driving, state police noted.

The passengers asked for a longer break and explained their jobs could be in jeopardy, and the arrestee began yelling that they didn't need breaks, state police said.

The argument continued, and the arrestee struck one of the passengers in the face, and the other passenger tried to intervene, according to state police.

"While the altercation was occurring, the vehicle began to swerve from the right lane into the right shoulder before striking a metal beam guardrail and traveling down an embankment," state police said.

One of the passengers had visible injuries to his face, and the other reported minor injuries, state police noted, adding that the altercation was captured on dash camera footage which showed the interior of the truck.