Compact Car Collides With Disabled Powerboat, Trailer

By Andrew Gorosko

A Brookfield man was still in critical condition at Danbury Hospital September 14, nearly a week after a September 8 accident on westbound Interstate 84, in which the compact car he was driving collided with the rear end of large powerboat mounted on a disabled trailer that was parked alongside the highway, officials said.

Motorist William J. Guglielmo, 42, of Brookfield was the operator who was seriously injured in the accident, according to state police.

The 4:03 pm accident nearly a week earlier caused extended travel delays on westbound I-84, with traffic backing up into Southbury as state police investigated and emergency crews cleared the accident wreckage.

State police said that Eric Unser, 36, of Slidell, La., was driving a 2003 Ford F-series pickup truck westward on I-84, about 500 feet west of the Exit 10 on-ramp, when the boat trailer that the Ford was hauling experienced a tire blow out.

Unser then pulled the Ford from the right travel lane onto the right road shoulder, where he and passenger Aaron Brittain, 45, of Carriere, Miss., got out of the Ford and were in the process of changing the tire, state police said.

Guglielmo, who was driving a 2010 Nissan Versa westward, then struck the boat and its trailer from behind, state police said.

Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps members transported Guglielmo to Danbury Hospital for treatment of head and torso injuries, state police said. Unser and Brittain were also evaluated for possible injuries, according to state police.

Newtown Hook & Ladder firefighters also responded to the accident.

Hook & Ladder Chief Jason Rivera said that when he arrived at the accident, a Danbury firefighter was on the scene aiding Guglielmo. Firefighters then removed the injured man from his damaged vehicle and assisted ambulance staffers in preparing him for hospital transport, Chief Rivera said.

A dozen firefighters spent about two-and-a-half hours at the accident scene as state police conducted a thorough investigation, according to Chief Rivera. Firefighters cleaned up various automotive fluids that spilled in the accident, among other tasks.

State police said the accident remains under investigation and ask anyone who witnessed it to contact Trooper Philip George at the Troop A barracks in Southbury at 203-267-2200.