Wrong-Way Collision on Merritt Parkway Leaves Eight Dead, Raises Safety Concerns

In a tragic incident, a driver going the wrong way on Connecticut’s Merritt Parkway collided head-on with a minivan, resulting in the deaths of all four individuals inside both vehicles. The crash occurred in Stratford at around 1:45 am on Thursday, causing the closure of one side of the highway for almost seven hours. State police revealed that an SUV was travelling northbound in the southbound lane when it collided with the minivan, causing it to burst into flames.

According to reports, the incident has added to the growing concern regarding wrong-way highway crashes in Connecticut, most of which are attributed to drunken drivers, as per authorities. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has identified 200 off-ramps as high-risk areas, partly due to multiple ramps meeting at the same location.

As per state police, all three occupants of the minivan, including an elderly man and woman, both aged 80 and 65 respectively, and another individual from Easton, Connecticut, succumbed to their injuries. The identity of the SUV driver, who also passed away, is yet to be established by the medical examiner’s office.

In addition to this tragedy, there was another accident as well; a state trooper was involved in a collision whilst attempting to assist individuals stranded at the scene of the initial accident due to their vehicle being stopped in the middle of the road without any lights. Fortunately, the trooper sustained only minor injuries in the incident. The Connecticut Department of Transportation reported 13 wrong-way crashes in 2022, leading to the death of 23 people. This year, preliminary statistics indicate that five wrong-way accidents have already claimed the lives of seven individuals. In February, a similar incident in West Haven left four people deceased.

To address wrong-way incidents, state crews have installed alert systems on various highway ramps that display flashing red lights to warn motorists moving in the wrong direction. These systems also notify local law enforcement and transportation authorities.