Local Man Critically Injured In ATV Accident

By Andrew Gorosko

A local man was listed in critical condition as a patient in Danbury Hospital on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 13, following injuries he received in an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident on private agricultural property in Sandy Hook on the night of Saturday, July 9.

Benjamin Brower, 37, of 6 Winding Brook Road was being treated as a patient in the hospital, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Police said that at about 10:10 pm on July 9, police, Sandy Hook firefighters, and ambulance volunteers responded to 24 Sherman Street on a report of an accident with injuries that occurred on a sloped, grassy field at the site.

Police said Brower was driving a 2010 Polaris Ranger XP four-wheel ATV, which had Daniel Cassar, 19, of West Columbia, S.C., as a passenger, when the ATV rolled over.

Brower was transported to the hospital. Cassar reported that he had no injuries, police said.

Police said that neither Brower nor Cassar were wearing helmets or seatbelts when the accident occurred. The ATV, which is set up like a small truck, is designed for utility use.

Police declined to provide additional details on the incident. The accident remains under investigation, police said.

Town real estate records list William Joyce of Shepard Hill Road as the owner of the 86-acre parcel at 24 Sherman Street where the accident occurred.

The land is among the property which Joyce has proposed as the site for Sherman Woods, a 38-house subdivision. In October 2009, the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) rejected issuing a wetlands permit to Joyce for the project. He then appealed that decision in court. The court appeal is pending.