Carol Wu's Condition Improves after May Car Accident on Old Farms Road

Avon resident Carol Wu's condition has improved following her car accident just over one month ago on Old Farms Road near the Fisher Meadows Trail Head, based on a status report from Hartford Hospital.

She has been at Hartford Hospital for treatment since May 6.

Wu, who lives on Woodhaven Drive, is listed in "serious condition," as of June 7, Hartford Hospital spokeswoman Michaela Donnelly told Patch Tuesday. That indicates an improvement in her condition from "critical."

The scale of patient conditions that Hartford Hospital is able to release includes, "good," "fair," "serious" and, finally, "critical" as the worst condition before a fatality, Donnelly explained.

While driving her black 2003 Honda Civic on Old Farms Road on May 6, Wu struck an Avon Old Farms School eight-foot cement column in the woods alongside her lane. She was headed in the direction of the private school entrance, away from Country Club Road.

After emergency responders found her unconscious just after 7 p.m. and Avon volunteer firefighters extricated her from the vehicle, Life Star airlifted her to Hartford Hospital. She was taken straight into intensive care and was in "critical condition." Donnelly previously confirmed she was still in that state on May 23. Police reported that emergency personnel gave Wu supplemental oxygen at the accident scene to help her breathe.

Hartford Hospital cannot release the nature of her injuries due to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws. HIPAA "protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information," according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

The North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction squad continues to investigate the cause of the accident. The team includes police officers from Avon, Canton, Simsbury, Farmingon, Granby, Suffield, Bloomfield and Windsor departments.

Editor's Note: This article has been revised. The original version cited the Hippocratic Oath as the reason Hartford Hospital cannot provide the details of Wu's injuries. The hospital actually cannot release that information under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws. HIPAA "protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information," according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The reporting error has been corrected.