Wife of ESPN's Chris Berman Dies In Double Fatal Accident In Connecticut

WOODBURY, CT — The sports community gave an outpouring of supportive messages after news broke that legendary ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman's wife was killed in a double-fatal crash on Route 64. Police continue to investigate Wednesday what led to the crash that claimed the life of Katherine Ann Berman, 67, of Cheshire and an elderly Waterbury man.

"Chris is beloved by all his ESPN colleagues and for good reason: he has a huge heart and has given so much to so many over the years," said ESPN President John Skipper "We know how much his family means to him and all we can do at a moment like this is give him the love and support he will surely need at this hour."

State police said Berman, 67, of Cheshire, and Edward Bertulis, 87, of Waterbury, were both killed in the accident, which occurred in the area of Tuttle Road around 2:15 p.m Tuesday. Berman was driving a Lexus, which was owned by her husband, state police said. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Update: Berman Family Thankful for Support After Fatal Crash

Bertulis was traveling eastbound on Sherman Hill Road approximately 100 feet east of Tuttle Road in Woodbury. Katherine Berman was traveling east on Sherman Hill Road directly behind Bertulis' vehicle.

Bertulis' vehicle was struck in the rear end by the front end of Berman's vehicle, state police said. After the crash, Berman's vehicle continued to veer off the road to the right and down an embankment and overturned in a small body of water.

Bertulis' vehicle veered off the road, collided with a utility pole and landed in the center of the road on its roof, according to state police.

Bertulis' daughter Nancy Bertulis said in a statement her father was healthy and drove the speed limit, according to the Hartford Courant. He was coming home from visiting her mother's grave at a cemetery.

Berman was pronounced dead at the scene, while Bertulis was taken to a local hospital where he would later die as a result of his injuries.

Chris Berman, a Greenwich native, started his career with WVIT-TV (now known as NBC 30) as a weekend sports anchor. He joined the fledgling Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) a month after it launched in the fall of 1979. For more than three decades, he hosted the network's "Sunday NFL Countdown" show and since 1999 has served as master of ceremonies for the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in Canton, Ohio.

"My heart goes out to Chris Berman," tweeted ESPN first take host Molly Qerim. "His beautiful wife worked tirelessly for the community. Thoughts and prayers are with his family."

He married Katherine Alexinski of Middlebury in 1983 in New Preston, Connecticut. She was a graduate of the University of Connecticut and worked as a fourth grade teacher in the Waterbury school system.

The couple has a daughter, Meredith, and a son, Douglas.

With reporting by Tim Jensen, Patch Staff.

Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images Entertainment

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