Two People Seriously Injured In Derby Roosevelt Drive Wreck

UPDATE: Derby police Thursday released the names of two people taken to area hospitals after a two-car wreck on Roosevelt Drive Wednesday.

John Marlin, 47, was taken to Bridgeport Hospital.

Max Godfrey, 20, was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Lt. Sal Froscenro said Derby police did not release any other information Thursday because an accident report had not been completed.

As of 5 p.m. Thursday, Godfrey was still listed as being in the emergency department at Yale-New Haven. Information on his status was not available.

Marlin was in fair condition Thursday at Bridgeport Hospital.

The original post from Wednesday follows:

Two people with serious injuries were sent to area hospitals after a head-on crash on Roosevelt Drive near Lakeview Terrace in Derby Wednesday afternoon.

Firefighters from Derby Storm Rescue and Shelton’s Echo Hose Hook and Ladder had to use Hurst tools — the so-called jaws of life” — to free both drivers from the wreckage.

The names of the two drivers weren’t available Wednesday afternoon. One driver, a male, was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital on a trauma alert.

The second driver, also male, was taken to Bridgeport Hospital on a trauma alert.

Derby Storm Ambulance and Ansonia Rescue Medical Services took the patients to the hospital.

The vehicles involved were a Dodge Durango and a GMC pick-up truck.

The crash happened about 3:30 p.m. in the accident-prone Pink House Cove” section of the road. Roosevelt Drive was open again at 5:11 p.m.

Three people have died during crashes on that stretch of Roosevelt Drive since 2010.

The fatal wrecks prompted a meeting in late 2012 between representatives from the Department of Transportation, the Valley Council of Governments and Derby police to discuss the road’s safety.

However, the road’s geography rules out any major structural changes. Roosevelt Drive within Pink House Cove” lacks a road shoulder. There’s a massive concrete retaining wall on one side and the Housatonic River on the other.

The state DOT is considering installing large black and yellow arrow signs so motorists are aware of the turns in the road.

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