Three Dead in Early Morning Crash on Route 69 in Prospect
PROSPECT, CT — Three people lost their lives in a three-vehicle crash on Route 69 at Talmadge Hill Road shortly before 5:30 a.m. on Thursday.
According to state police, a pickup truck traveling southbound attempted to overtake a Tesla, resulting in a collision that sent the Tesla spinning into the northbound lane. The Tesla then struck another pickup coming from the opposite direction. The initial pickup subsequently collided with the Tesla a second time.
The driver of the Tesla, identified as 57-year-old Andrew Kozel of Avon Park, Florida, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, 24-year-old Andrew Joseph Kozel from Prospect, also died at the scene.
Edmund Frank Szantyr, 68, a passenger in the northbound pickup, was transported to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The driver of that pickup sustained serious injuries.
State police reported that both the driver and passenger of the pickup that attempted to pass the Tesla sustained minor injuries.
Route 69 was closed from Coer Road to the Bethany town line for several hours as the investigation continued. Authorities are actively examining the circumstances surrounding the crash.