UConn Stamford grad caused the accident.
NORWALK — The fiery three-vehicle crash that
closed Interstate 95 on Thursday unfolded after the 22-year-old driver of a Chevrolet Camaro struck the front end of an oil tanker while attempting to change lanes, according to a police accident report.
The sports car was traveling southbound in the four-lane highway’s far right lane around 5:30 a.m. when it merged into the right center lane occupied by the tanker, leading to the initial collision, Connecticut State Police officials wrote in a two-page crash summary.
The tanker, which was hauling 8,500 gallons of oil, then veered into the left center lane, struck a tractor-trailer and burst into flames before coming to a stop directly under the Fairfield Avenue overpass.
None of the drivers reported injuries. As of Saturday, police have not filed any charges in connection with the crash, which forced crews to
demolish the badly burned overpass.
In the aftermath, Norwalk fire
officials originally said the crash occurred after a sedan cut off a tractor-trailer, prompting the tanker to swerve into another vehicle in an effort to avoid a collision.
But in an email on Saturday, Sgt. Luke Davis, a spokesperson for the state police, confirmed the Camaro struck the tanker while trying to merge in front of the truck. He said the collision forced the sports car to spin onto its side.
The tanker truck is
owned by Standard Petroleum, according to police. David Cohen, executive vice president at the company, said the business has shared the video from the tanker’s dash camera with state police.
“The video clearly shows that our driver was not at fault,” he said in an email Friday morning. “The state police have not asked for anything else at this time, but we will fully cooperate if they do.”
The 22-year-old driver of the Camaro is from Stamford and graduated from the University of Connecticut in December, having attended the school’s Stamford campus, a university spokesperson confirmed.
The two drivers of the commercial vehicles were identified as a 42-year-old man from Harrison, N.Y., who was driving the tanker; and a 35-year-old man from Bridgeport, who was operating the other tractor-trailer.