Teen Suffers Life-Threatening Injuries In Wallingford Crash: PD

WALLINGFORD, CT — In a Friday night update, police say the 16-year-old driver seriously injured after crashing into a tree earlier in the day was conscious and stable as of 9 p.m. He also sustained numerous fractures as a result of the crash. The 15-year-old passenger, who suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash, remains unconscious with a head injury but has been stabilized at Pediatric Care Unit of Yale New Haven Hospital, according to Lt. Anthony DeMaio.

The crash occurred at about 3 p.m. on March 16 on Highland Avenue near its intersection with Route 68. The 16-year-old was operating a 2009 Toyota Scion TC northbound on Highland Avenue when he lost control of the vehicle and it struck a large tree along the eastern side of Highland Avenue, according to DeMaio. The main area of impact was concentrated at the driver’s side of the vehicle, DeMaio said. The boys had just attended a Sheehan High School football meeting, according to DeMaio.

Wallingford Firefighters were able to safely extricate both boys from the totaled vehicle through the passenger side. The driver was taken from the scene to Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment of his injuries while the 15-year-old front seat passenger was taken to the Pediatric Care Unit of Yale New Haven Hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.

The road was closed for about four hours while police reconstructed the collision. The investigation is ongoing and police are determining whether excessive speed was a contributing factor, according to DeMaio.

Any witnesses to the crash is asked to call Officer Christian Evans or Lt. Anthony DeMaio at 203-294-2815.