The Accident Report: Elderly Woman Dies After Crash

Less than six hours after crashing into a tree on Oenoke Ridge Road near Hemlock Hill Road, 82-year-old Jean F. Spina of Bedford Hills, NY, was pronounced dead at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY.

A witness told police that Spina had been driving normally ahead of her traveling at the speed limit before she slowly veered off the road around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, hitting a mailbox and the curb and then striking the tree. There were no skid marks. Spina did have her seatbelt on and the airbag did deploy.

Police suspect the accident was caused by a medical incident, but that has not yet been confirmed.

Firefighters, who extricated Spina from the vehicle, first reported the accident to New Canaan Patch Tuesday before the driver's fate was known.


Skid Marks Lead to Stone Wall:

An officer responding to a report of an accident found a vehicle that had sustained severe front-end damage after apparently careening into a stone wall on Ponus Ridge near Cascade Road around 1:40 a.m. Saturday, April 24. The 32-year-old driver from CosCob was standing outside the vehicle by a telephone pole. He was later transported to Norwalk Hospital and the vehicle was towed. Police are continuing to investigate the causes of the accident.


Driver Fails to Stop in Time:

A 75-year-old driver from Bayside, NY collided with a 63-year-old driver from Stamford who was attempting to turn onto Hoyt Farm Road from New Norwalk Road shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday, April 25. The 75-year-old told police he'd only seen the turn signal at the last second and couldn't stop in time. He was issued an infraction for following two closely. Both vehicles sustained substantial damage.


Village Lamp Post Knocked Down:

A parking authority official watched the rear-end of a truck hit a lamp post on Forest Street as the vehicle was maneuvering onto the street shortly after noon Friday, April 23, knocking the upper part of the fixture to the ground. An officer was able to track down the 31-year-old driver from Bridgeport, who hadn't realized he'd hit anything. Police took no enforcement action, but the driver will be responsible for the damage.


Young Drivers Involved in Fender-Benders

A 16-year-old driver from Darien was rear-ended after slamming on his breaks because the vehicle ahead of him on Old Stamford near Old Studio Road stopped suddenly around 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 21. Police issued the 24-year-old New Canaan man faulted in the accident a written warning for following too closely. Both vehicles involved in the fender bender suffered minor damage.

A 17-year-old New Canaan driver was given a verbal warning after she bumped the vehicle in front of her on Cherry Street around 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 23. After the light turned green at Park Street, she had proceeded, and then reached to her right for something, not realizing the traffic ahead of her had stopped again.

Police gave an infraction to a 25-year-old driver from Norwalk for not having a valid license and a verbal warning for following too closely after the driver tapped the vehicle stopped in front of him at the stop sign at Main Street and Farm Road shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 21.


Bad Backing:

An 89-year-old New Canaan woman struck another car in the Walter Stewart's Market lot around 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 19, when she said she accelerated too fast on her second attempt to back out around the parked vehicle.

A 23-year-old from Hastings, MN hit a vehicle stopped on Elm Street in a line of traffic behind a red light when she tried to back out of a parking spot around 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 23. She was issued a verbal warning for unsafe backing.