Car Plunges Off Windsor Overpass, Falls on I-91

Update; 3:29 p.m., Tues., March 26

Windsor Police released a statement Tuesday afternoon, identifying the driver of the vehicle as Richard Mazzella, 46, of Clinton. He remains in critical condition, police said.

Police are looking for information regarding what may have happened before the car crashed and tumbled onto the highway. Click here for more info.

Original Story

Traffic was slowed to a crawl Tuesday morning as a SUV plowed through an overpass wall on Bloomfield Avenue, landing on its roof on I-91.

According to Windsor Police Capt. Tom LePore, Windsor Volunteer Ambulance transported the male driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, Hartford Hospital.

The driver is in "very critical condition," LePore said.

It’s unclear what caused the driver to crash through the overpass wall and on to the highway, LaPore said, adding that the trajectory of the crash indicates that the driver was heading northbound on I-91, exited on the left-hand HOV lane and did not stop when he approached the intersection before crashing through the overpass barrier ahead.

LePore said the department has not determined the identity of the driver, as he did not have identification on him.

The vehicle was identified as a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Members of a regional accident investigation team remained at the scene as of noon Tuesday and the SUV remained overturned in the grassy median area beneath the overpass.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, according to police.

LePore said he's never seen a car fully penetrate an overpass barrier like Tuesday's crash.

According to LePore, the regional accident team, which comprises units from as far as Farmington, is in charge of the investigation. The team will create a computerized map of the intersection and use amounts of damage caused to the vehicle and the overpass to determine speed.

LePore added that Hartford Hospital medical staff will determine whether the driver suffered from a medical condition that may have caused him to crash.

Police continue to seek help in determining what happend before Mazzella's vehicle left the highway and hit the wall. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Windsor Police Department by calling 860-688-5273.