SEYMOUR, Conn. — Three people, including a toddler, died and a woman was taken to the hospital following a crash on Route 34 in the town of Seymour Wednesday evening.
Officers had not released the names of the deceased as of Thursday afternoon as they tried to reach family members. They believe speed might have been a contributing factor. Neighbors agreed it’s a busy area with fast-moving traffic so they were not surprised to hear about the accident.
“We poked our heads out of the window and opened the door and saw just multiple fire engines, multiple ambulances, and a bunch of cop cars lined up all up and down the street,” said Seymour resident Dustin Kershaw.
The deadly, head-on collision happened on Roosevelt Drive in-between Derby and Oxford in the town of Seymour.
Kershaw was not surprised.
“There’s always a number of accidents up and down the road going all the way down to Pink House Cove, down by the bend, and continuing down,” he said.
Kershaw said he heard the sirens Wednesday night.
“It was a constant for a good 15 to 20 minutes,” he said.
The road closed for several hours overnight and reopened this morning.
“This area has seen significant crashes in the past,” said Seymour Chief of Police Paul Satkowski.
Chief Satkowski said a car with three people was traveling eastbound towards Derby, failed to negotiate the curve, and struck a car traveling Westbound towards Oxford.
The three people in the car headed east were killed, including a child. The woman traveling west suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
“The three people, two female adults an operator and a passenger in the front seat, and a toddler in the rear seat succumbed to their injuries due to the severity of that impact and they were pronounced deceased at the scene of the accident,” Chief Satkowski said.
He said both the driver and the passenger are women, but they still want to confirm identity and age.
“Our hearts and sorrow and sympathy go out to everyone involved in this crash especially the family members of the deceased” Chief Satkowski said.
He said speed appears to be a factor upon preliminary investigation. The accident is still being investigated.
He added death can affect first responders, especially when a toddler is involved. He said counseling would be available for officers. He said officers, the fire department, and EMS will have a debrief meeting this week.
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