SOUTH WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT — An eight-vehicle pileup on westbound Interstate 291 near Exit 2 in South Windsor during Monday morning rush hour was declared a mass casualty event by the South Windsor Fire Department, requiring so many ambulances that the designation was triggered. Two people suffered serious injuries and five others sustained minor injuries — including a student aboard a school transport van — and a significant diesel fuel spill prompted a Connecticut DEEP response. It was the fifth crash at the same location this summer.
The crash was reported around 7:45 a.m. on August 31. The vehicles involved included a tractor-trailer, a school transport vehicle, two pickup trucks, and four passenger cars. The school transport van was carrying one student on a Manchester Public Schools route operated by CREC. The driver was taken to Hartford Hospital. The student, who sustained minor injuries, was transported to Connecticut Children’s for evaluation.
“The safety and well-being of our students and staff is always CREC’s highest priority, and we are grateful to local emergency services for their prompt response,” said Mason Thrall, CREC director of operations.
South Windsor Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Peck described the scene as a “very violent accident” with very widespread wreckage. A diesel fuel spill from the tractor-trailer was contained to the roadway and shoulder. DEEP’s emergency response unit responded and a private contractor was called in for cleanup.
A second crash occurred on the eastbound side of the highway when a driver slowed to look at the westbound wreckage and was rear-ended. Neither driver in that secondary crash was hospitalized.
I-291 westbound was closed between exits 2 and 1D. The on-ramps from Route 5 were also closed. State police conducted an accident reconstruction.
A Dangerous Pattern
The crash location sits immediately before a permanent lane closure on the Bissell Bridge where construction began in June. The left lane is closed, forcing a merge, and traffic frequently backs up as far as Exit 2. A ridge on Route 5 approaching the bridge limits sight distance, meaning drivers cresting the hill can suddenly find themselves bearing down on stopped or slow-moving traffic with little time to react.
“This section of I-291 westbound is immediately before the construction area on the Bissell Bridge, where the left lane is permanently closed due to construction,” Peck said. “This combination of limited sight distance and recurring traffic congestion has contributed to multiple serious crashes in this area.”
Monday’s pileup was the fifth time this summer South Windsor Fire has responded to a crash at that location.
Daily commuter Austin Lavoie said the hazard is well-known to anyone who drives it regularly. “You go up that hill, and you don’t see if cars are stopped there, so you need to slow down sooner,” he said. “It’s clear people are driving too fast and not paying attention, but there needs to be work all around to make this work zone safe because there have been way too many accidents.” He called for rumble strips or a posted police presence to force drivers to slow before cresting the hill during rush hour.
Bridge construction is expected to continue through the summer season. NBC Connecticut has reached out to the Connecticut DOT about safety improvements in the work zone.
Interviews courtesy of local media.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
