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Firefighters and state police involved in near-miss on I-91 after car enters work zone – NBC Connecticut

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Firefighters and state police troopers responding to a crash in Rocky Hill Monday night provided the latest example of the need for improved traffic safety after a car veered into a busy accident scene off Interstate 91.

The Rocky Hill Fire Department said it was called to a reported vehicle fire on Interstate 91 North at Exit 23 shortly before 10 p.m. Monday.

According to fire officials, a vehicle traveling north on Interstate 91 “made a sharp right turn to exit the highway at Exit 23” while firefighters were working to extinguish the fire.

The vehicle then bypassed the cordon officers had set up around the accident scene and drove into the area where firefighters and police were on duty, officials said.

The Rocky Hill Fire Department noted that “all fire engines were properly positioned” and that “all firefighters wore appropriate reflective clothing while maintaining a clear distance from traffic lanes.”

According to fire officials, the car stopped immediately and no one was injured. State police issued the driver a ticket.

But the near-miss in Rocky Hill is emblematic of a larger problem in the state. Monday night’s incident came amid a massive campaign by state leaders to raise awareness about traffic safety after three workers died on the side of the road in Connecticut in five weeks.

And this is by far not the only near-defeat in recent months.

In early June, a 25-year-old Rhode Island man was charged after police said he drove while under the influence of alcohol through an active highway construction site on Interstate 84 West in Southington.

Less than three weeks later, three Greenwich firefighters were injured while responding to an accident on Interstate 95 when their fire truck was struck by a car transporter.

“Please help us stay safe,” the Rocky Hill Fire Department said, citing the recent roadside deaths of a police officer and a Department of Transportation employee. “This is a reminder to everyone to obey the state’s ‘yield’ law, which requires motorists on a highway to drive one lane away from any emergency, maintenance or tow vehicle.”

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