Farmington Man Dies in I-84 Crash

Connecticut State Police said a 22-year-old Farmington man died after a predawn crash on Interstate 84 East in Middlebury on Saturday. Troopers identified the driver as James Hannan, 22, and said his vehicle struck the rear of a tractor-trailer near the South Street Bridge between exits 16 and 17. The crash was reported at about 3:45 a.m., according to state police. The investigation remains open, and police are asking anyone who saw the collision to come forward. ### Where on I-84 did the crash happen? Middlebury was the site of the collision, with troopers responding to the eastbound side of I-84 between exits 16 and 17. State police said the crash happened in the area of the South Street Bridge. The eastbound lanes in that stretch carry traffic through western New Haven County, and the crash drew a response from Troop A, according to WTNH’s report citing state police. (wtnh.com) ### What did police say happened before the impact? State police said both vehicles were traveling in the center lane when the second vehicle rear-ended the vehicle in front of it. (wtnh.com) NBC Connecticut, citing police, reported that the lead vehicle was a tractor-trailer and that the reason for the rear-end collision was not yet known. The operator of the second vehicle suffered fatal injuries, police said. WTNH identified that driver as Hannan, based on information released by Connecticut State Police. ### Who was killed? James Hannan of Farmington was identified by Connecticut State Police as the person who died in the crash. WTNH reported that Hannan was 22. (wtnh.com) Fox61 and other local outlets reported the same identification from the state police release. Those reports said Hannan died after his car collided with the rear of the tractor-trailer on the interstate. (wtnh.com) ### What do investigators still not know? (wtnh.com) Police said the cause of the collision remains under investigation. NBC Connecticut reported that investigators had not said why the second vehicle struck the vehicle ahead of it. Connecticut State Police have not, in the publicly available reports reviewed here, described any enforcement action, cited weather as a factor, or released further details about the tractor-trailer driver. (fox61.com) The state’s accident-information portal says accident summaries are available through the DESPP system, subject to statutory limits on what can be released. ### Who are police asking to contact them? (nbcconnecticut.com) Trooper James Perazzella #762 is the named investigator seeking information from witnesses, according to state police. WTNH and NBC Connecticut both published the contact information included in the police notice. Anyone who saw the crash is asked to contact Perazzella at 203-267-2200 or by email at james.perazzella@ct.gov, according to the reports citing Connecticut State Police. (accidents.despp.ct.gov) ### What happens next in a case like this? Connecticut State Police said the collision remains under investigation, which means troopers are still gathering witness accounts and reviewing the circumstances of the crash. (wtnh.com) The DESPP reports-and-records page says most accident information summaries are available online for 30 days, though access can be restricted under Connecticut law. The next public step is likely to come through an updated state police release or an accident summary filed through the DESPP system. For now, the named point of contact is Trooper James Perazzella, who is handling witness outreach as the investigation continues. (wtnh.com)