Sept. 7 Marks Fourth Anniversary of Truck Crash at Nassau's Furniture

The state and town of Avon made some changes after a truck crashed into at the base of Avon Mountain exactly four years ago, the second major motor vehicle accident in that area since a fatal truck-related crash in July 2005.

Avon Impound Lot

Following the Sept. 7, 2007 crash, the town of Avon spent about $30,000 on building a compound to store the truck while the accident remained under investigation, according to minutes from a June 25, 2008 Board of Finance meeting.

The judicial process required that "this vehicle and its load be put in a position where they could not be accessed by anyone but the police department or authorized officials of the court," Philip K. Schenck, Jr., former Avon town manager, told the Board of Finance at the meeting, and as a result, "the town needed to store the truck in the town garage in the wash bay."

One of the problems with keeping the truck in the town garage was that there were also "federal requirements to wash the town trucks after every storm because of storm water management regulations to wash off the salt and sand," Schenck told the finance board in 2008. The truck needed to remain as it was because it was evidence.

To this day, the town has an impound lot next to Public Works where vehicles from Avon crashes under investigation are kept. The American Crushing and Recycling dump truck, which caused the July 29, 2005 20-vehicle accident that killed four people, is still there because civil court proceedings are pending, police confirmed. Only authorized personnel like police are permitted to enter the fenced impound lot.

Avon Mountain Runaway Truck Ramp

Due to the history of trucks losing control on Avon Mountain, the Connecticut Department of Transportation took futher action to make the road safer and built a "runaway truck ramp" on Route 44 that opened around Feb. 22, 2008, according to a 2008 press relase from the state transportation department.

The ramp was the first of its kind in Connecticut history, Emil H. Frankel, the department's acting commissioner at the time, confirmed in the press release.

Bourgeois & Shaw, Inc., of Simsbury, started building the ramp on Nov. 19, 2007 after an "emergency declaration" from the state following the "serious, non-fatal truck accident." Like the 2005 fatal accident, the truck crashed near the intersection of Routes 44 and 10 in Avon.

M. Jodi Rell, who was sworn in as governor January 2007, said in the 2008 press release, “Truck safety has been a top priority of mine since becoming governor and it is especially gratifying that the DOT has been able to move this project along so quickly while at the same time minimizing traffic disruption."

As part of the "escape ramp," the contractors built retaining walls, a "concrete barrier curb" and "a state-of-the-art Dragnet Vehicle Arresting Barrier System," which was "designed to safely stop a vehicle" with "self-contained energey" from "fiber arresting nets," according to the 2008 press release.

The State Traffic Commission temporarily banned "through trucks" over 13 tons from traveling on that portion of Route 44 until the ramp opened that year.

The construction of the ramp affected five private properties, two of which the Department of Transportation bought. The state also compensated the other three property owners for the segments of their land needed for the ramp.

Avon Mountain Project Status

were added to Avon Mountain by December 2010, as the state highway became an increasing concern to the state and town due to the 2005 and 2007 accidents, as well as others on the mountain. Town Manager Brandon Robertson reported to the Town Council on Aug. 29 that the project is nearing completion. The remaining work is minor, such as adding reflective fiberglass safety markers and replacing plants on the median.

The town, not the state, will assume responsibility of minimal landscaping maintenance, which could entail anything from fertilizing the plants to weeding and removing trash. That could amount to as much as $10,000 annually, according to an estimate Public Works Director Bruce Williams obtained.

The entire Avon Mountain project, which the Federal Highway Administration and the Connecticut Department of Transportation are funding, "is now approaching $20 million," Robertson noted in background information he provided to the Town Council.