Southbury Man Killed in Head-On Crash When Car Trying to Elude Cops Entered Opposite Lane: Police

NORWICH, CT — A Southbury man was killed in a head-on collision in Norwich early Sunday morning when a driver who had been involved in a pursuit with police entered into the westbound lane entered into the opposite lane while traveling on East Main Street in Norwich, according to Connecticut State Police.

The sequence of events unfolded around 2:20 a.m. A Subaru Legacy was going eastbound when it entered East Main Street and then entered the westbound side of the road where it collided into a Toyota Corolla that was stopped on the westbound side of the road at the time of the crash. The Hartford Courant reported that during the pursuit, the driver of the Legacy traveled through the intersection of Route 2 east and Route 12 and struck the curb of the eastbound lane. His vehicle spun out of control into the left, westbound lane of Route 2 and struck the Corolla in the oncoming traffic lane.

According to police, before the crash, the Legacy was attempting to elude Norwich Police. The Legacy failed to stop at a traffic stop and engaged authorities in a pursuit, police said.

The passenger in the Corolla, identified as Thomas Allan Richter, 74, of Southbury was killed as a result of the crash. He was taken to William Backus Hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. The driver of the car sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The driver and passenger in the Legacy also sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The investigation into the collision is active and on-going. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to contact Trooper First Class John Wilson at 203-630-8085 or at john.wilson@ct.gov.

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