Arrest in last year’s fatal Christmas crash

Arrest in last year’s fatal Christmas crash

Connecticut State Police Troop B headquarters in North Canaan.

Archive photo

NORTH CANAAN — A nearly year-long investigation into a fatal 2023 Christmas Day crash last year has resulted in the arrest of a North Canaan man on manslaughter charges.

Samuel Simmons, 21, of Ashley Falls Road, was arrested on Thursday, Dec. 12, at his home by Troopers from Troop B, charged with three felonies and held on a $250,000 cash surety bond.

The investigation concluded that Simmons, the driver of a 1995 Volvo 850T5R, “was operating while impaired by the effects of marijuana,” according to the police report.

A passenger in the Volvo, Avery Nelson, 24, of Norfolk, was pronounced dead on the scene as a result of injuries sustained when the Volvo struck a four-foot, two-inch tree, a fence and a railing in front of a residence on Twin Lakes Road just west of the intersection of Canaan Road (Route 44) in the Town of Salisbury on Christmas Day afternoon.

Simmons was transported to Sharon Hospital for injuries.

According to a statement provided by one witness, the Volvo was traveling eastbound on Route 44 at a high rate of speed behind her car when it passed her despite a double-yellow line.

The witness said the Volvo then entered the oncoming lane for about 30 seconds then swerved off the roadway.

A second witness, who was visiting a gravesite at Route 44 and Twin Lakes Road, heard a noise and observed the Volvo hit the tree at a high rate of speed.

A third witness, who was westbound near the accident scene observed the Volvo to be out of control.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for Simmons’ medical records at Sharon Hospital. The records listed the presence of the principal psychoactive ingredient of marijuana.

A report from the medical examiner listed Nelson’s cause of death as injuries sustained in the crash. The manner of death was listed as “accident.”

A collision report issued by the Collison Analysis and Reconstruction Squad concluded that Simmons, while traveling at a speed between 74 and 79 mph, attempted a left-steering maneuver that exceeded “the handling ability of the Volvo.”

Simmons is scheduled to appear in Torrington Superior Court on Jan. 21 on charges of manslaughter, 2nd degree; manslaughter with a motor vehicle, 2nd degree; illegal posssession of a weapon in a motor vehicle; reckless driving and failure to drive upon the right.

Latest News

Father Joseph Kurnath

LAKEVILLE — Father Joseph G. M. Kurnath, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, passed away peacefully, at the age of 71, on Sunday, June 29, 2025.

Father Joe was born on May 21, 1954, in Waterbury, Connecticut. He attended kindergarten through high school in Bristol.

Keep ReadingShow less
Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less