Serious Accident Occurs In

Little-Traveled Area

By Andrew Gorosko

A serious two-vehicle accident involving heavy damage and injury occurred December 6 in one of the least traveled sections of town — the intersection of Orange Pippin Road and Russett Road in Sandy Hook, near Lower Paugussett State Forest.

One of the motorists involved in the crash, Jill Beth Privalsky, 25, of 16 Orange Pippin Road, was admitted to Danbury Hospital, after which she was released on December 8.

Police said Ms Privalsky, who was driving a 1997 Honda Accord sedan, was traveling eastward on Orange Pippin Road at about 7:52 am, as motorist Rickey Daigle, 39, of Danbury, was driving a 1993 Ford F-1250 pickup truck southward on Russett Road.

In that area, Orange Pippin Road and Russett Road form a “T-shaped” intersection with Orange Pippin situated on the bottom leg of the T. At that intersection, Orange Pippin Road is controlled by a stop sign.

After the collision occurred in the intersection, Mr Daigle kept driving southward on Russett Road, which curves to east there and then ends in a turnaround circle at a dead end.

The impact of the crash heavily damaged the driver’s side of the Honda, pinning Ms Privalsky in the wreckage. Sandy Hook and Botsford firefighters responded to the scene to extricate her from the heavily damaged Honda.

Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company Chief Bill Halstead said firefighters used extrication equipment to take apart a section of the auto to free the trapped woman from the wreckage.

Responding to the accident was complicated by the time of day, he said, explaining that fire vehicles encountered heavy rush hour traffic on Route 34 while going to the incident.

Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps members, as well as the regional paramedic responded.

Based on a description of the truck and its direction of travel that they had received, police searched for Mr Daigle and found him parked in a driveway on Russett Road, near the street’s dead end.

Police then arrested Mr Daigle on charges of evading responsibility and driving while under suspension. After being booked on the charges, police released Mr Daigle on $1,500 bail for a December 21 arraignment in Danbury Superior Court.

Police said December 8 they planned to interview Ms Privlasky about the accident.