SEYMOUR -- Police said a 20-year-old died and five other people were seriously injured in a car crash Tuesday evening.
Police said a 4-door sedan hit a utility pole in the area of 11 Rimmon St. in Seymour at around 9:30 p.m. and they soon received multiple 911 calls. Deputy Chief Paul Satkowski of the Seymour Police Department said speed was a factor in the crash.
Police said they expect criminal charges will be filed against the driver but no information on the driver is being released yet.
Police identified the victim as Shyheim Samuel, 20, of Derby. He was believed to be the right rear passenger.
When emergency crews arrived on scene they found the car on its roof, live power lines around it, and the utility pole split into three pieces. Seymour Fire Chief Michael Lombardi said they had to work quickly and carefully to extricate the victims while maneuvering around the downed wires.
Police said the other people in the car ranged in age from 14- 22-years-old. The five survivors had serious injuries, some life-threatening. The condition of the five survivors has improved and they may no longer be life-threatening injuries, according to police late Wednesday morning.
The injured were taken to several different hospitals in Bridgeport, New Haven and Waterbury. All of the occupants were from Bridgeport and Derby, none from Seymour.
Thought the crash site was cleared early Wednesday morning, Rimmon Street remained closed for utility repairs. Power outages were down from over 400 last night to just 8 Wednesday morning.
Seymour Police said they were calling the State Police accident reconstruction team to assist with the investigation.
The quick actions of emergency responders, dealing with live wires that were down and on the car, saved lives, according to the Seymour police chief.
