A teenager was seriously injured during a high-speed crash on Interstate 84 in Newtown on Sunday where state police said one driver brake checked another, causing a vehicle to go off the highway and strike a jersey barrier.
The collision occurred on I-84 East near Exit 13 just before 3:50 p.m., according to Connecticut State Police.
State police said they believe the drivers of a 2009 Honda Civic in the left lane and a 2015 Toyota RAV4 in the right lane were both traveling at a “high rate of speed” when the Toyota driver cut off the Honda and suddenly applied the brakes. The Honda driver lost control, crossed over the highway and struck the jersey barrier in the right shoulder, according to state police.
The driver of the Toyota, a 38-year-old from New York, allegedly took off from the scene and was found shortly after the collision, state police said. They did not report any injuries, state police said.
A front seat passenger in the Honda, a 16-year-old Wallingford boy, was unresponsive at the scene and was taken to Danbury Hospital for serious, life-threatening injuries, according to state police. His condition was not immediately clear.
The driver of the Honda, an 18-year-old Meriden man, and a 14-year-old Wallingford boy who was in the backseat were taken to Danbury Hospital for minor injuries, state police said.
The crash remains under investigation.