Traffic & Transit
Staples High School Teacher Killed In 2-Vehicle Crash In Old Lyme
Michael Sansur, 52, was a Technology Education teacher at the Westport high school.
WESTPORT, CT — Staples High School teacher Michael Sansur, 52, was killed Saturday in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 in Old Lyme, according to Westport Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice and Connecticut State Police.
"I am so sorry to be writing to you today to share some tragic news," Scarice wrote Sunday in an announcement to the school community. "Yesterday, we lost Michael Sansur, beloved Technology Education teacher at Staples High School, to a car accident on I-95. His son was also critically injured in the accident. We are devastated by this news and our hearts are with the Sansur family during this difficult time."
The crash occurred on the northbound side of I-95 near Exit 70 just before 7:30 a.m., state police said. Sansur, a Darien resident, was driving a 2003 Honda Accord and stopped in the left lane of the thruway "for unknown reasons," when a 2019 Kia Stinger driven by Oxford resident Almando Dixon, 26, slammed into the rear of the Accord.
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Sansur was pronounced dead at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, and his son, Milford resident Michael Alexander Sansur, 21, was airlifted to Yale New Haven Hospital where he is being treated. Dixon also suffered minor injuries in the crash.
"Stafford Thomas, principal of Staples High School, will be working with the building’s crisis team, as well as the central office crisis team, to develop plans for supporting students, staff and families, in coping with this tragedy," Scarice wrote. "We will share those plans with the community later today.
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"Mike was a personal favorite of countless students and staff. His career has been marked by inspirational stories of Mike positively impacting the lives of students at Staples and creating an unparalleled sense of belonging in his classroom."
The crash remains under investigation, and state police are urging anyone with any information about it to contact Old Lyme Resident State Trooper Matthew Weber at 860-399-2100.
— Richard Kaufman, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.
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