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Firefighters at scene of crash.
A 22-year-old New Havener named Wilmer Lopez drove a Toyota Highlander into Scarpellino’s Restaurant on Forbes Avenue, then died from his injuries at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
So reported police spokesperson Officer Scott Shumway.
Shumway said the crash occurred Tuesday around 6:12 p.m. The police crash team is investigating and asks anyone with information to call 203 – 946-6316 or (anonymously) 1 – 866-888-TIPS(8477), or text “NHPD plus your message” to 274637 (CRIMES).
Last November a fire damaged the Scarpellino’s building, the popular restaurant’s third home. The Scarpellino’s first opened in 1981 at 140 Park St.; moved to 204 College St. in 1989 when the previous location was torn down; then moved to 257 Forbes when the College Street location was cleared out in 2006 and razed to make way for an upscale apartment complex.
Accidents like this will increase until traffic laws are enforced. Anyone who drives knows there is no appreciable amount of enforcement happening, it's a virtual free for all on the roads. Fighting the police department to force them to get traffic under control is obviously pointless. I would suggest creating a division outside of our dysfunctional police department, make it a part of Transportation Traffic and Parking or some other agency. We should explore alternative means of traffic law enforcement or push for needed changes in laws to allow for the use of technology to generate tickets. I'm not a big fan of monitoring but I dislike being killed by a moron in a vehicle much more. Improving signal control may also be helpful, sitting at a red light with no cross traffic or pedestrians crossing creates traffic congestion and is idiotic given the technology available.