TORRINGTON, Conn. — One man was arrested after Connecticut State Police said he left a crash scene by driving the wrong way on Route 8 in Torrington.
A FOX61 viewer captured video of the wrong-way driver just minutes after the crash and shared it with us. You can see the video above.
State police identified the wrong-way driver on Thursday as Timothy Serbek, 27, of Torrington.
Just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, state police got calls of a Chevy truck traveling in the wrong direction on Route 8, according to troopers.
Troopers said Serbek was involved in a crash in the southbound lanes near Exit 46, then drove away in the wrong direction for several miles. No one was hurt in that crash.
The Jeep driver involved in the crash told state police that both vehicles were driving in the correct direction when Serbek's truck drove next to the Jeep and tried to shift into the Jeep's lane. Both vehicles spun out after Serbek's truck hit the Jeep's front driver's side, the Jeep driver told state police.
Troopers said they were able to catch up to that truck driver and arrest him within an hour of the 911 calls. Serbek told police he was in a "road rage" type incident and alleged that the Jeep had hit his truck, which caused him to fear for his safety and drive away.
Witness Ethan Laigle sent FOX61 the video taken from the cameras in his Tesla, so he caught when Serbek's truck was going the wrong way. He told FOX61 there was no time to react at the moment, he was just fearful of how this could end.
“After he passed by, I looked in the mirror to make sure he didn’t hit anyone behind me...my first thought was who’s next,” Laigle said. “I’m just thankful to be here. If he hadn’t high-beamed me it would’ve been a different story, unfortunately.”
At this time, state police have not determined who is at fault in the crash.
In the meantime, Serbek was charged with driving the wrong way and evading responsibility. He was released on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
It's well known that wrong-way drivers are a reoccurring issue in Connecticut. Already this year, there have been 11 wrong-way crash deaths, surpassing last year’s total of seven people killed.
In efforts to prevent this, CTDOT has installed more than 200 signs and new technology at on-ramps considered problem areas.
Brooke Griffin is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at bgriffin@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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