Crash Sends 4 To Hospital, Closes Road: Hamden Police

HAMDEN, CT — Church Street has reopened after being closed due to a two-car crash that sent four people to the hospital early Sunday morning, police said in an update on Monday.

“The Traffic Control Signal at Dixwell Avenue and Church Street has been repaired and is fully operational,” Acting Hamden Police Chief Timothy F. Wydra wrote in a news release. “The barricades on Church Street have been removed and Church Street is fully re-opened. We would like to thank the Hamden Traffic Department, specifically James Mesner and Robert Dunikowski, for their hard work repairing the damaged equipment which occurred as a result of a motor vehicle accident.”

(Original post): HAMDEN, CT — Part of Church Street is closed as crews repair a traffic signal after a two-car crash that sent four people to the hospital early Sunday morning in Hamden, according to police.

Police responded to the area of Dixwell Avenue and Church Street around 3:35 a.m. on the report of a two-vehicle crash.

The preliminary investigation suggests that both vehicles were traveling south on Dixwell Avenue when they collided, causing one vehicle to veer off the road and strike a utility pole, according to Acting Hamden Police Chief Timothy F. Wydra.

Wydra said the other vehicle also veered off the road and struck a second utility pole, a bus shelter structure, and a traffic signal control box.

The driver and passenger of one of the vehicles were taken to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to Wydra.

Wydra said the driver and passenger of the second vehicle sustained minor injuries and were also taken to the hospital.

“Crews from several utility companies responded and have repaired much of the damage,” Wydra wrote in a news release. “The traffic signal control box will need to be replaced and the traffic signal at the intersection of Dixwell Avenue and Church Street will not be operable and out of order.

“Church Street, at the intersection with Dixwell Avenue, will now be closed until the traffic signal can be repaired. Barricades have been placed in that area and motorists are asked to use alternate routes to avoid the area. Residents of Church Street are asked to use Circular Avenue or the various side streets to access Church Street.”

The investigation is ongoing and Wydra said any witnesses are asked to contact the Hamden Police Department at 203-230-4000.