Connecticut car crash: 4 killed in wrong-way accident in Stratford

CONNECTICUT - A driver going the wrong way Thursday on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut crashed head-on into a minivan, killing all four people in the vehicles and closing one side of the highway for nearly seven hours, state police said.

According to state police, an SUV was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes around 1:45 a.m. when it crashed into the minivan and burst into flames in Stratford.

Television news video of the aftermath showed a minivan with its front end smashed in and a heavily damaged sport-utility vehicle lying on its side on the highway, also known as Route 15.

State police said all three people in the minivan were killed. They've been identified as Steven P. Rowland, Thomas Lucian Vitale and Olga Vitale – all from Easton. 

The SUV is registered to a Massachusetts resident. The medical examiner's office was working to identify the driver, who also died, authorities said.

The state Department of Transportation reported 13 wrong-way crashes that killed 23 people in 2022. 

Preliminary data for 2023 showed five wrong-way accidents killed seven people, the DOT said, and this February, four people were killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 95 in West Haven.

State crews have been installing alert systems on highway ramps that flash bright red lights to drivers going the wrong way. Systems in some locations also alert state police and transportation officials.

Associated Press wire services helped contribute to this report.