Frank Dee Photo
UPDATE — Frank Dee of Trumbull was traveling along Leetes Island Road Friday afternoon when he was almost hit head on by a car driving at great speed. He was forced off the road.
In an interview yesterday, he told the Eagle that the driver of the car was traveling toward Stony Creek at about 80 mph. “Something just wasn’t right,” he said, “It was evident he was gonna crash at the speed.”
The driver of the car, later identified by police as Michael Deliberto, 32, of Wallingford, was killed when his car plowed into a tree, setting off a fiery crash. Police Capt. Geoff Morgan said yesterday that Deliberto was traveling “at a high rate of speed,” near the area of 340 Leetes Island Road.
Eyewitness Account
Dee said he watched as Deliberto then hit the curb, lost control of his car and went into a tree. “The tree split the car in half and was in the back seat,” he said. “Thankfully, nobody else was injured, or it could have been a lot worse.”
“I was the first one there,” he said. Dee remained on the scene and shared his story with police. Hours later, he said he was still trying to calm down… “Scary stuff,” he told the Eagle.
Deliberto, the only person in the car, was pulled from the wreckage by passing motorists before the vehicle erupted in flames, police said. It is believed he was driving a black Volkswagen Golf hatchback.
“It was certainly a very horrific crash,” Morgan said earlier in the day from the scene.
Frank Dee Photo
While members of the Branford Fire Department extinguished the fire, the attempts by fire department paramedics to save Deliberto’s life were unsuccessful, Morgan said.
Morgan told the Eagle earlier on Friday that the accident took place on Leetes Island Road near Flat Rock Road at about 12:45 p.m. Leetes Island Road was later closed to traffic.
He said the South Central Regional Traffic Unit was investigating the accident and would undertake a reconstruction of the crash.
Morgan said the police need help in finding additional witnesses to the crash. “If anyone saw it, please contact us, at 203 – 481-4241.”
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