NHFD
Aftermath of Sherman Parkway crash.
Aftermath of Central-Chapel crash.
A Hamden man died Monday from injuries suffered in a car crash at Chapel Street and Central Avenue, one of two collisions in New Haven that required fire rescue crews to extricate trapped victims.
Update Tuesday afternoon: Police identified the victim as Manuel Rodriguez, who was 73.
The Chapel-Central crash occurred shortly before 12:15 p.m. It involved a Ford minivan and a black Honda sedan, one of which “T‑boned” into the other at the intersection, according to police spokesperson Officer Scott Shumway.
Watch the crash in the video at the bottom of this article.
A fire crew arrived and used hydraulic tools to remove doors in order to remove the man from the smashed Honda, according to Assistant Fire Chief Justin McCarthy. McCarthy said the man was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The van’s driver, who also was taken to the hospital, is in stable condition, Shumway reported.
The police department’s accident reconstruction team was on scene to begin investigating the crash. The police are expected to have more details to release later, including the identity of the man who died.
The accident reconstruction team is also investigating a three-vehicle crash that occurred during the slippery snowfall around 6 a.m. on Sherman Parkway between West Ivy and Willis Streets.
Three vehicles, one of which was parked and unoccupied, were involved in the crash. The occupant of one vehicle was able to get out safely unassisted. A fire rescue crew helped someone extricate herself safely from a second vehicle, a white Acura, according to Assistant Chief McCarthy.
A third person, a pregnant woman, remained trapped in the Acura. The rescue crew also used hydraulic tools to remove doors and get her out safely, McCarthy reported. She was taken to the hospital with injuries that were reported as non-life-threatening.
In these cases, a firefighter gets as close as possible to a trapped individual before the rest of the crew gets to work removing the doors, in order to keep the victim calm and inform the victim of what to expect at each step, including the loud noise of the hydraulic tools, McCarthy said.
The crash occurred a block away from a stretch of Sherman Parkway that has a blind curve and has seen repeated crashes, including one that killed a Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School student in December.
Crash at Central and Chapel, courtesy of On Scene Media.
That van was flying in a 25 mph zone right through a red light and killed an innocent person going about their way. Throw the book at them.