Road Closed After Farmington Crash

Farmington officials closed Meadow Road on Monday afternoon after a crash that shut a stretch of the road near Plainville Avenue during the late-day commute. Town officials urged drivers to use alternate routes as police and emergency crews responded. By Monday night, Farmington police said the collision involved a motorcycle, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and a school bus. A motorcyclist later died, and police charged the pickup driver with driving under the influence, according to local news reports citing police. ### Which road was closed, and where was the crash? Meadow Road in Farmington was temporarily closed Monday following the crash, according to town officials cited in local reports. The closure was near Plainville Avenue, also known as Route 177, and officials told drivers to seek alternate routes. The crash scene was in a busy local corridor, and the closure disrupted traffic during the afternoon rush. (msn.com) Patch’s Farmington page listed the road-closure alert among the town’s top local headlines on Tuesday. ### What do police say happened at about 4 p.m.? Farmington police said the crash happened around 4 p.m. Monday. WTNH and NBC Connecticut reported that the collision involved three vehicles: a motorcycle, a school bus and a pickup truck. (msn.com) The Hartford Courant reported that police believe the school bus, motorcycle and pickup truck were all traveling westbound on Meadow Road when the truck struck the bus and motorcycle from behind. (patch.com) NBC Connecticut reported the same three-vehicle configuration in its account of the crash. ### Who was hurt in the collision? (wtnh.com) A motorcyclist died after the crash, Farmington police said in reports carried by WTNH and other Connecticut outlets. Officers and emergency crews began lifesaving measures at the scene before the rider was taken to a local hospital, according to reports citing police. FOX61 reported that a 7-year-old child on the school bus suffered minor injuries. (courant.com) The station said police described the bus as part of the three-vehicle crash but did not report additional serious injuries among bus occupants. ### Who was charged, and what did police allege? (wtnh.com) Farmington police charged the driver of the Chevrolet Silverado with driving under the influence, according to WTNH, NBC Connecticut and other local reports. Stamford Advocate’s summary identified the driver as Gary Berube, and WTNH reported that a man was charged after the fatal crash. (fox61.com) Daily Voice reported that the driver was 63 years old and that police responded to what Chief Paul Melanson described as a serious crash on Meadow Road near Plainville Avenue. That account, like other local reports, said the investigation remained active after the arrest. ### What do residents know about the initial road alert? (stamfordadvocate.com) Town officials issued a road-closure alert late Monday afternoon, and local reports said drivers were told to avoid the area immediately. The earliest public information centered on the closure itself, before police accounts later described the crash as fatal and said a DUI charge had been filed. (dailyvoice.com) Patch’s local Farmington page and MSN’s pickup of the alert both reflected the initial public message: Meadow Road was closed and alternate routes were advised. Later television and newspaper reports added the details about the motorcycle, school bus and pickup truck. ### What happens next in the case? Farmington police said the investigation is continuing. The town’s police department maintains public information pages, including its press and arrest log, for follow-up disclosures and case updates. (msn.com) As of Tuesday, May 19, local reports were still carrying updated versions of the crash story, including details on the fatality, the DUI charge and the location at Meadow Road and Plainville Avenue. (patch.com) Additional updates are likely to come from Farmington police and Connecticut local news outlets covering the case. (wtnh.com) (farmington-ct.org)