FAIRFIELD — Two people were sent to the hospital Tuesday morning, one with serious injuries, after a crash on Interstate 95 in Fairfield.
Fire dept. officials said the crash happened at around 1:15 a.m. near exit 19 northbound in Fairfield. A tractor-trailer truck driven by Kyree Javar Blanford, 26, of Deleware, was headed north just past the exit in the right lane and hit the metal guardrail and a light pole.
Another tractor-trailer truck, driven by Thomas R. Cornish, 69, hit the light pole that was knocked down by the first truck, because it went across all three lanes of the highway. Cornish pulled over and stopped safely in the shoulder of the road.
A 2015 Huyundai Sonata driven by Tom Barberino, 44, of Greenwich, tried to avoid the accident and rear-ended Cornish’s truck.
When firefighters arrived, they said they found Barberino trapped under the truck. Seventeen firefighters were involved in an intensive operation to free him. They used pneumatic struts and airbags to lift the trailer, and Bareberino was freed using hydraulic cutting and spreading tools.
The road was closed for over an hour, so that emergency crews could operate safely, according to the fire dept.
Bareberino was sent to Bridgeport Hospital with serious injuries. Blanford was also taken to the hospital for treatment and evaluation.
Connecticut State Police and Department of Transportation crews remained on scene for an accident investigation, according to the fire dept. The accident is still under investigation.
