Crime & Safety

Canton Driver in Lovely Street Accident Didn't Have License [Update, 4:19 p.m., Jan. 25]

Driver Gary Wright, 16, and Avon passenger Michael Follert, 19, are still in the hospital after the car they were in wrapped around a pole on the state road in Avon.

Update, 4:14 p.m., Jan. 25

Michael Follert, 19, one of the Avon passengers in the one-car crash on Lovely Street Wednesday, was listed in fair condition as of late afternoon Friday, according to Hartford Hospital spokesperson Rebecca Stewart.

Hartford Hospital is authorized to give one of four patient statuses to media – critical, serious, fair or good, listed from most to least severe. Fair, an improvement from Follert's previous serious condition, means that the patient's "vital signs are stable and within normal limits," according to the hospital's website.

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"Patient is conscious but may be uncomfortable; indicators are favorable," the website definition of fair states.

Follert, who graduated from Avon High School last year, was on the varsity football and wrestling teams at the high school, according to his senior yearbook.

Find out what's happening in Avonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As of Friday, Canton driver Gary Wright, 16, was still in critical condition at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Original

Gary Wright's 17th birthday was more than a week away when the car he was driving struck a pole on Lovely Street in Avon late Wednesday. But he was a long way off from being legally allowed to drive friends, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

The Canton teen did not have his driver's license and had gotten his learner's permit in March of 2012, DMV spokesperson Bill Seymour said Friday.

At that stage, Seymour said, "he  can only drive with a supervising adult in the car," meaning a parent or driving instructor. Otherwise, "he can have no passenger of any kind at any time," Seymour added. Connecticut driving regulations state that individuals cannot drive friends until a year after receiving a driver's license, according to the state website.

Avon High School graduates Frank O'Connor, 18, and Michael Follert, 19, were riding in Wright's mother's 1998 Honda Coupe Wednesday as Wright drove, according to police. Authorities have not released information on what caused Wright's side of the car to hit a utility pole in the 190 block of Lovely Street at 10:20 p.m. that evening. The car wrapped around the pole — alongside the southbound lane — and was nearly cut in half, police said.

O'Connor was released from medical care with minor injuries Thursday, police previously said. As of late afternoon Thursday, at Hartford Hospital.

Patch has left messages with both CCMC and Hartford Hospital and will provide updated patient status information when it becomes available.

The accident remains under investigation and police have not said whether charges will be pursued.

Avon police ask that anyone with information on the accident contact the department's routine dispatch number at 860-409-4200.


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