A two-vehicle crash and subsequent car fire on Route 8 in Derby sent a Seymour man to the hospital and snarled traffic throughout the Valley for hours during Wednesday’s afternoon rush.
The crash occurred about 4:23 p.m. on Route 8 north prior to Exit 17, according to a state police report.
Richard Famiglietti, a 46-year-old Wolcott man, was driving a pickup truck on the highway’s left lane when he saw traffic ahead and slowed down.
Matt Steig, 34, of Seymour, who was driving behind the truck in a Nissan Altima, was unable to stop in time and rear-ended the truck.
Due to the impact, the Nissan caught fire.
State cops shut down the highway as firefighters put out the flames and Steig was taken by paramedics to St. Vincent’s Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.
Meanwhile, rush hour traffic quickly backed up behind the crash.
See the post below from the Valley Indy’s Facebook page for comments from readers stuck in traffic.
Backup on Route 8 north due to a crash in Derby, according to a reader. #cttraffic
Posted by Valley Independent Sentinel on Wednesday, 18 November 2015
The backup on Route 8 north extended well into Shelton.
As drivers exited the highway to seek alternate routes, traffic jams soon developed on local streets — Bridgeport, Coram, and Howe avenues in Shelton, as well as Pershing Drive in Ansonia and Derby, for example.
Once the accident was cleared the highway was re-opened about 6 p.m., with residual backups clearing up afterward.
State police issued Steig with a citation for failure to drive a reasonable distance apart.
