Canton Teen Driver in Critical Condition After Lovely Street Crash [Update 11:22 a.m., Jan. 25

Update, 11:22 a.m., Jan. 25

In case you missed them, you can read the original Wednesday story and the most recent Friday article by clicking on the links provided.

The Department of Motor Vehicles has confirmed that Gary Wright, 16, who was driving the car the night of the one-car Lovely Street accident, did not have a license.

Original Story

The Canton teenage driver who police said crashed his small car into a telephone pole late Wednesday evening is still in critical condition, according to hospital officials.

Gary Wright, 16, was transferred to Connecticut Children's Medical Center after Life Star airlifted him and passenger Michael Follert, 19, of Avon, to Hartford Hospital to be treated for critical injuries. The other passenger, Frank O'Connor, 18, was ejected from the car upon collision and transported to Hartford Hospital in an ambulance, police said.

The car Wright drove – a 1998 Honda Coupe registered to his mother – wrapped around the pole after one side of the vehicle struck it, police said. After the North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction Squad surveyed the accident, the car – nearly cut in half upon impact– was taken to the town impound lot.

Fire officials confirmed that it took about 45 minutes to extricate Wright from the vehicle.

As of 3:38 p.m., Wright was in critical but stable condition and Follert was in serious but stable condition at Hartford Hospital, police said in a statement. O'Connor has since been released from the hospital with minor injuries.

Both Avon and Canton Patch left messages with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, but the calls were not returned by Thursday evening. The Hartford Courant, NBC Connecticut, WFSB and CBS-owned radios station WTIC NewsTalk 1080 reported that the DMV confirmed Wright had a learner's permit but not a driver's license.

Both of Wright's passengers graduated from Avon High School last year, according to office staff.

The car split in half due to the impact of hitting the pole, according to Avon Police Sgt. David Gannon. Police said it took about 45 minutes to extricate Wright.

One hundred CL&P customers lost power when the small car struck the pole, which has since been restored.

Lovely Street is a busy state road with a 40 mile-per-hour speed limit. The cause of the accident has not been released at this time.

Police said that their records show that there were 10 accidents in 2012 on Lovely Street, none of which resulted in injuries.

However, there was a Roaring Brook School secretary who was injured after another car struck hers head-on along Lovely Street last January soon after she left work. The other driver was airlifted by Life Star to the hospital.

The accident remains under investigation. More information will be provided when it becomes available. To read the original accident story, click on the link provided.

If you have any information on the accident, Avon police requests that you contact the department's routine number at 860-409-4200.

Editor's Note: This article was last updated on Thursday at 7:43 p.m.