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Van strikes utility pole, closes Route 112 for hours

Van strikes utility pole, closes Route 112 for hours

Traffic was diverted near Wells Hill Road after a crash closed part of Route 112 Friday afternoon.

By James H. Clark

A van crashed into a utility pole on Route 112 near Wells Hill Road Friday afternoon, leaving the driver hospitalized in serious condition and forcing the highway to close for several hours.

The crash was reported at approximately 3:20 p.m., according to Connecticut State Police Troop B.

Police said a Ford Transit van struck a utility pole and the driver was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. The identity of the driver and the extent of the injuries had not been released Friday evening.

A second vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, veered off the road in an attempt to avoid the crash, according to state police. The driver of the Jetta was not injured.

Route 112 remained closed between Race Track Road and the Route 7/112 intersection into the early evening, according to Troop B, while emergency crews responded and Eversource Energy workers repaired the damaged utility pole.

Millbrook resident Will Dore said he believes he arrived near the scene shortly after the crash occurred. Before official detour signs were posted, an emergency responder was directing traffic at the Hotchkiss Four Corners -- the intersection of routes 112 and 41.

Dore said he was driving from Millbrook to Housatonic Valley Regional High School and was rerouted through Lakeville because of the closure.

“I was taking my daughter to a dress rehearsal for her dance recital and we were delayed because of the road closures,” Dore said. “I hope those involved are OK."

Christian Murray
Executive Editor

Christian Murray is executive editor of The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News. A graduate of the Columbia Journalism School, he is a veteran journalist, founding the Queens Post and its network of neighborhood news sites—including the Sunnyside Post, Astoria Post, LIC Post and Jackson Heights Post—and helping pioneer hyperlocal digital journalism in New York City. Before joining LJMN in 2025, he served as managing editor at Schneps Media, overseeing amNewYork, the Queens Courier, the Bronx Times and other local publications. Earlier in his career, Murray was a political reporter for Newsday and a business reporter for Reuters. A native of New Zealand, he says northwest Connecticut reminds him of the landscapes where he grew up—a connection that made the region feel like home from the start.

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