Man injured in SUV-truck crash

A critically injured Willimantic man remains in the intensive care unit this morning after his vehicle crashed into a tractor-trailer unit on Route 6 Thursday.

According to state police from Troop K in Colchester, Gary Mish, 62, of 42 Oxbow Drive, was traveling eastbound on Route 6 when he suddenly crossed into the westbound lane of traffic.

The accident occurred at 2:32 p.m. near the intersection of Route 6 and Hop River Road.

Police said Mish’s Envoy XL struck the front left side of the tractor-trailer.

After the initial impact, the trac-tor-trailer then jackknifed and came to “final rest” on the right shoulder of Route 6 westbound, said police.

Mish’s vehicle came to a stop with the left side of the vehicle against a metal guardrail on the shoulder of Route 6 westbound, said police.

Mish was extricated from his vehicle by several members of the Columbia Volunteer Fire Department.

Willimantic Fire Department and Andover Fire Department firefighters also responded to the accident.

Jose Rodriguez, 32, of 1562 Townsend Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y., was the driver of the tractor-trailer. He was uninjured in the collision, police said.

According to troopers, Mish was transported to Hartford Hospital via Life Star helicopter for leg and ankle injuries. Hospital officials this morning said he was in critical condition.

Columbia Fire Chief Peter Starkel said the extrication of Mish went well “given the circumstances” and condition of the vehicle.

He said emergency personnel removed the vehicle’s roof in order to extract Mish safely from the damaged Envoy.

“Everything went very well,” he said, adding the response time from Columbia’s firefighters was quick.

Starkel said firefighters are constantly training and learning about responding to various emergencies. “A couple of times a year we do extrication training and practice,” he said.

He said training was a year-round requirement because local firefighters respond to a high number of vehicular accident calls annually.

Route 6, historically, has been the site of deadly and non-deadly crashes alike.
Because of the frequency of accidents, it has been dubbed “Suicide 6” by locals.
According to Starkel, the volume of vehicular traffic on the road is a major contributor to the number of accidents on the dangerous state road.

“It’s the main (roadway) from northeast Connecticut to Hartford,” he said. “The sheer number and volume of traffic contributes to it.”

Starkel said the road is lined with a mix of commercial and residential properties and the speed at which motorists drive is dangerous on the busy road.

“Speeds are a factor,” he said.

The accident is still under investigation by police. Anyone with information is asked to call Troop K at (860) 537-7500.