On Tuesday, February 23, a woman who left the scene following a fatal crash was given six weeks to work out a plea deal or go to trial.

The case relates to an incident which took place in November 2014, when 33 year old Felicia Burl, of Stamford was driving a 2002 Nissan Altima and she ran a red light on Alvord Lane shortly before 9 p.m. The owner of the car, 50 year old Nixon Henry was seen hanging onto the passenger door which was open and was thrown through the air, was critically injured and died shortly after at Stamford hospital. The Altima then hit a BMW station wagon on the passenger side and 70 year old Judith Andruilli of Greenwich, who was sitting in the car, suffered a severe head injury, broken ribs and pelvis and died around six hours later, also at Stamford hospital.

Burl ran off but police took DNA from the car which matched Burl and also found her cell phone on the ground.

Burl is accused of two manslaughter charges, two charges of leaving the scene of an accident and second-degree assault and has been held at the York Correctional Institution in Niantic in lieu of a $500,000 court appearance bond since early December 2014 when she was found in Stamford by United States marshals.

She has 25 criminal convictions on her record that include violations of probation, drug dealing, assault, hindering prosecution and escape.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

On Saturday, July 25, two men died on the Interstate 91 in Connecticut.

According to state police, the first accident happened at around 2.30 a.m., when 26 year old Steven Baez of Bronx, New York, was a passenger in a car being driven by 28 year old Sean Brown of Ardsley, New York, which hit another car and overturned. Baez was killed and a second passenger, 25 year old Jasmine Clifford of Greenwich, along with the driver, was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Those in the other vehicle were not injured.

Then in the same area, at around 6.30 a.m. 51 year old David Sanchez of New Haven was driving near southbound Exit 13 in Wallingford. His car rear ended a tractor trailer and became wedged underneath and caught fire. He died at the scene and as a precaution the truck driver was taken to hospital.

The accidents led to delays on the highway for several hours on Saturday morning.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

On February 3, six people were killed when a Metro North train hit an SUV on the Harlem line which has highlighted again the dangers of railroad crossings.

In 2013 across the United States, there were almost 2,100 collisions at crossings and more than 200 people died which amounts to about four deaths a week.

Federal Railroad Administration statistics show that Stamford has more than its fair share of railway crossing fatalities.

Looking at the New Haven Line in Connecticut, from 1993 to 2013, the three most accident prone crossings were in Stamford, all on Hope Street. During that time frame there were six accidents at the railroad crossing at Hope Street and Largo Drive, six at Hope and Riverbend Drive South, and three at Hope and Viaduct Road, including one fatality.

Each of the remaining crossings on the list of the top ten had two accidents during those years. They include the Camp Avenue crossing in Darien, the Grove Street crossing in New Canaan and the Commerce Street crossing in Norwalk.

The other crossings with two accidents each were in Danbury, Ansonia, Milford and Redding, with two fatalities and he crossing at Crescent Street in Stamford had one collision during that period.

Metro North officials say the accidents are the fault of motorists although many say the signals or flashing lights did not work. Although Metro North denies this, motorists should always take great care at these crossings.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

On Tuesday afternoon, a known criminal was seriously hurt in an accident when trying to escape from authorities.

According to police, 25 year old Andrew “Moe” Parra was a known drug dealer with a long criminal history and he had an outstanding warrant on narcotics charges. He was seen in an area known for drug activity and was followed by undercover narcotics officers to a home in Franklin Street. Officers tried to stop him when he came out, but he got into his car and sped off, with several police cars in pursuit. Parra refused to stop, instead he increased speed and after about 15 minutes the police called off the chase. Then State Police told them Parra had crashed some three miles away on Route 7 northbound. No other vehicles were involved.

Parra was taken to Danbury Hospital with serious injuries and was later transferred to Westchester Medical Center. He now will be charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, engaging police in a pursuit and reckless driving.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

On Sunday morning there was ice and freezing rain in the Danbury area which made travel very hazardous and the scores of crashes overwhelmed the police.

According to Danbury police the problems began at 8 a.m. when the big freeze hit and there were over 30 accidents in just two hours. Luckily, although there were several injuries no one had to go to hospital. Temperatures began to rise and by mid afternoon the roads were safe again with just a few icy patches in shady areas, such as under bridges.

In Ridgefield, messages were sent by the police department to ask residents not to drive and only five accidents occurred there, although the police did say that the fact it was a Sunday and not a workday contributed to the low number of crashes.

Redding Police also sent an emergency notification Sunday morning, telling people to stay off the roads but nonetheless there were several crashes in the area, and in New Milford, although there were only around 10 accidents, scores of cars were stuck on the sides of the roads as they became disabled in the freezing conditions.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

During the holiday period and Operation SANTA there was only one fatality reported on Connecticut roads.

Operation SANTA ran from midnight December 23 until midnight December 26 when there were more accidents than last year with 279 this year and 249 last year. The number of accidents where someone was injured was 38 compared to 28 last year.

There were 19 DUI arrests and 243 speeding violations this year. Last year there were 18 DUI arrest and 301 speeding violations.

Troopers said that there was a high volume of traffic over the Christmas holiday, and that enforcement patrols continued throughout the state over New Years Eve.

However, although the fatality figures look small, they do not include two fatalities. One happened on Sunday December 28 when 22 year old Alan J. Alexis from Stratford was killed when thrown from his car in a rollover crash and the previous day, 29 year old John Compton from Bridgeport was killed in an ATV rollover accident on Turkey Roost Road in Monroe.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

Late on Thursday night a Bridgeport man was stabbed to death following a two vehicle collision.

According to police, they received a 911 call shortly before 11.30 p.m. saying that two people were outside their vehicles on Route 8 south exit 5 off ramp and they appeared to be aggressive towards each other. The police then received another call from one of the two involved in the altercation who asked for assistance but the call was disconnected with sounds of a fight in the background. There was then a third call from the same man, saying he was in now at the corner of Lindley and Capitol Avenues in Bridgeport and police went there and found 26 year old Bridgeport resident Bryant Kelly who appeared to have been stabbed and was seriously injured.

Troopers provided emergency care and Kelly was then taken by ambulance to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after being admitted.

Police have not released the other man’s name and are continuing with the investigation.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

A Norwalk taxi cab driver who was stabbed and then had a motor vehicle accident has died.

According to Norwalk police they received reports of a stabbing and motor vehicle accident on Grove Street in South Norwalk shortly after midnight on Monday.

They responded to the scene and found the victim, Jackson Pierre-Louis, age 51, of Bridgeport, who had been stabbed several times and crashed his taxi.

Pierre-Louis was treated by Emergency Medical Teams and was taken to Norwalk Hospital. However he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at hospital.

According to police the investigation is ongoing and detectives are asking for any witness to come forward including anyone who may have ridden in his cab prior to the incident.

The police went on to say that an autopsy to determine manner and cause of death has been scheduled at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

The only fatal crash in Connecticut over the holiday weekend happened when a Norwalk man lost control of his car.

According to state police, the incident happened at 8.15 p.m. on Route 7, near the interchange with Interstate 95 in Norwalk. The driver, Luis M. Contreras, aged 29, lost control of his car and swerved to the right. The reason is as yet unknown. The car hit the metal guard rail off the right shoulder which is there to separate the Route 7 southbound ramp to West Avenue, and spun around.

State police went on to say that Contreras was thrown out of the car through the window on the driver’s side and landed on the roadway of the Route 7 southbound ramp to Interstate 95 northbound.

Norwalk emergency medical service personnel pronounced Contreras dead at the scene by.

No other vehicles or people were involved.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.

Connecticut State Police are enforcing a driving program to keep residents and drivers safe over Thanksgiving weekend.

Last year, according to state police enforcement statistics, there were 562 car accidents, 92 of which resulted in injuries and there was one fatality. In addition there were 43 arrests for driving while intoxicated 1,134 speeding tickets issued.

In order to cut down on the number of crashes, state police will increase their road and highway patrols across the state, and especially focusing on drunk, aggressive and unsafe drivers.

A state police spokesman said that there is more alcohol consumed over the holiday period and this leads to an increase in road traffic accidents due to intoxication.

In Danbury, as well as the normal patrols, uniformed troopers will be driving unmarked patrol cars to check on traffic throughout the weekend looking for drunk drivers and they will also be manning a sobriety checkpoint on the Lake Avenue highway exit in Danbury.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an auto accident in Connecticut, contact the Stamford pedestrian accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan & Walsh, LLP. We can help you recover the compensation you deserve. Call us at  (888) 244-5480 – or Click here for a free case evaluation.