Airborne vehicle lands on parked car

#MiddleburyCT

A gray car sits upside down atop a white Ford Escape December 29 after flying off the Exit 17 off ramp. The driver was rescued through the hole in the windshield. (Marjorie Needham photo)

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

On Wednesday, December 28, Kathy White enjoyed her lunch sitting in her car in her regular parking spot behind the law offices of Moore, O’Brien and Foti at 891 Straits Turnpike. Thursday, right at lunch time, a vehicle coming down Exit 17 eastbound off I-84 ran off the road, barely missed a large tree, became airborne and landed upside down on White’s vehicle. Fortunately, White was not in it.

Attorney Garrett Moore said he and his partner rushed to the parking lot, where they found a young woman trying to get out of the upside-down vehicle. They managed to break the already cracked windshield and create a hole through which they helped the young woman escape. Moore said her hands were cut, she had a bruise on one leg and her neck was sore. White said the woman was walking around before the ambulance came and took her to the hospital. Her identity is unknown at this time.

Kathy White’s Ford Escape is ready to be towed away after a vehicle landed on top of it. (Marjorie Needham photo)

White, a paralegal at the firm, said of eating lunch in her car, “I’m not doing that anymore.” It’s likely she also will park in a different spot from now on.

Moore said a truck driver caught the incident on his dash cam, which showed the woman, who was in the far-left lane, cut across all lanes of traffic to exit and then lost control of her vehicle.

State Police Officer Elidon Hoxhallari, the investigating officer for the incident, said he would issue a press release tomorrow. He said it appeared the driver tried to take the exit a little too late.