Driver Injured In Crash Went Undiscovered For Seven Hours

By Andrew Gorosko

A local youth who was driving a compact sport-utility vehicle late on the night of May 5 drove off High Rock Road, went down a gully and then crashed into a tree, where he remained seriously injured and unnoticed for about seven hours before being discovered by a passing motorist, police said.

Paul Altieri, 17, of 30 High Rock Road received multiple injuries in the crash, police said. Altieri was alone in the 1998 Jeep Wrangler when the accident occurred.

Altieri was listed in good condition in Danbury Hospital on the morning of May 10, according to a hospital spokeswoman. Reached at his home by telephone on May 11, after he had been discharged from the hospital, Altieri declined to comment on the accident.

Police said that Altieri is fortunate to have survived the accident, considering the seriousness of his injuries, the length of time that the accident went unnoticed, and the coldness of the night.

Police said they determined that Altieri was driving the Jeep northward on High Rock Road about 11:15 pm May 5, when after reaching the crest of a hill, he lost control of the vehicle and crossed over into the southbound lane, near High Rock Road’s intersection with dead-end Kelly Court.

The Jeep then struck a protruding concrete fixture atop a stormwater catch basin and became airborne, police said. The Jeep went off the road, struck a tree, spun about, and then went down a gully and struck a boulder, coming to rest upright with the front end of the jeep smashed against another tree, police said.

The Jeep came to rest off the west side of High Rock Road, immediately north of its intersection with Kelly Court. There are no streetlights in the area.

Because the wreckage from the accident was well off the road and lying in a low spot, it was not until about 6:20 am on May 6 that a passing motorist noticed the accident wreckage, police said.

Altieri was found semiconscious outside the heavily damaged vehicle, police said. It is unclear whether Altieri was thrown from the vehicle or he climbed out of the wreckage, police said. Altieri received a leg fracture, head cuts, and possible internal injuries, police said.

It appears that Altieri had been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, but that the device somehow became disengaged, police said.

After the accident was discovered, the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps promptly transported Altieri to Danbury Hospital, police said. Botsford firefighters went to the accident scene.

Police said that enforcement action is pending in the case, which remains under investigation.

Police Patrol Officer Robert Haas, who is the investigator, asks anyone with information about the accident to contact him at the police station at 426-5841.