1983 — Jan 19, driver dozes, semi hits cars/fire, toll booth, CT Turnpike, Stratford CT– 7
— 7 Cummings, Bill. “General Assembly to mull tolls on Conn. highways.” CTPost, 1-19-2013.
— 7 New York Times. “The Region; Trucker in Crash may Face Arrest.” 2-12-1983.
— 7 The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “N.C. trucker facing trial.” 11-27-1983, p. 10B.
— 7 Wikipedia. “Connecticut Turnpike.” 2-22-2013 modification.
— 6 New York Times. “6 Die in Crash at Toll Station in Connecticut.” 1-20-1983.
Narrative Information
Cummings: “Hartford — As a special transportation fund established decades ago by the state to fix roads and bridges goes slowly broke…victim of repeated raids by a series of administrations — the General Assembly is…considering charging tolls to drive on Connecticut’s highways….
“Highway tolls fell out of favor in the early 1980s after Fairfield County legislators and other groups demanded their removal, citing traffic congestion and a negative impact on business. The effort was galvanized in 1983 after a tractor-trailer truck crashed into a Stratford toll booth, killing seven people and injuring others. Tolls were fully removed two years later.” (Cummings, Bill. “General Assembly to mull tolls on Conn. highways.” CTPost.com, 1-19-2013.)
Wikipedia: “….Several accidents prompted the state to eliminate tolls along the turnpike altogether. Arguably, the most notorious of these was a serious incident on January 19, 1983, in which a tractor trailer after a brake failure collided with four cars at the Stratford toll plaza, killing seven people and injuring several others. The investigation following the crash determined that the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel just before the crash took place.”[1] (Wikipedia. “Connecticut Turnpike.” 2-22-2013 modification.)
Contemporary Newspapers:
Jan 19, NYT: “Six people were killed and four others were injured today when a tractor-trailer crashed into four cars at the Connecticut Turnpike tollbooth here, engulfing the truck and three of the cars in flames.
“Three of the injured, including two boys between 5 and 10 years old, were being treated at Bridgeport Hospital. The fourth, Warren Lutzel of Rhode Island, suffered minor injuries and was treated and released, the state police said. He was the driver of the car that did not catch fire. One of the boys was said to be in good condition, although in shock, but the other was listed as critical. Adam Berluti, a civilian spokesman for the state police, said that the hospital told him that the critically injured boy was being kept alive on life-support equipment so his organs could be used for possible transplants. The hospital would not confirm this.
“According to Detective John McLeod, another state police spokesman, the truck’s brakes may have failed as it approached the toll plaza on the turnpike, also known as Interstate 95…. He said the driver of the truck survived, but was injured in the accident….
“The state police said the truck, which was transporting sweet potatoes, had approached the plaza just before 3 P.M. There was an explosion after impact, they said, scattering rubble across the highway, which widens at the tollbooth, and sending flames high into the air.” (New York Times. “6 Die in Crash at Toll Station in Connecticut.” 1-20-1983.)
Feb 11: “Bridgeport, Conn., Feb. 11 — The State Police said they were trying to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a driver from North Carolina whose tractor-trailer slammed into a line of cars at a Connecticut Turnpike toll plaza, killing seven people. Investigators met here Thursday with State’s Attorney Donald Browne to review the Jan. 19 crash in which four women and three children were killed at Stratford. The police said that officials might submit a warrant application Monday for the arrest of the driver, Charles L. Kluttz of Mocksville, N.C. Mr. Kluttz is hospitalized in North Carolina. The police said they had found no evidence that Mr. Kluttz had a valid driver’s license. There was also no indication of any brake failure in his vehicle. Mr. Kluttz’s employer, Southland Distributors of Advance, N.C., lost its right to operate in Connecticut last year when it failed to pay a fine for defective lights on a tractor-trailer, the police said.” (New York Times. “The Region; Trucker in Crash may Face Arrest.” 2-12-1983.)
Nov 27: Bridgeport, Conn. — The motor vehicle misconduct trial of a North Carolina trucker could start Jan. 4, nearly a year after seven people died when a tractor-trailer crashed into a Stratford toll booth on Interstate 95. Neil Lieberthal, defense attorney for Charles L. Kluttz of Cooleemee, N. C., said he would be prepared to begin his case on that date because of unsuccessful plea bargaining with prosecutors over the last six weeks. Kluttz is charged with seven counts of misconduct with a motor vehicle as a result of the Jan 19 crash. His defense has failed in its effort to have six of the counts dismissed or to have all seven consolidated into a single count.” (The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “N.C. trucker facing trial.” 11-27-1983, 10B.)
Sources
Cummings, Bill. “General Assembly to mull tolls on Conn. highways.” CTPost, 1-19-2013. Accessed 2-28-2017 at: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/General-Assembly-to-mull-tolls-on-Conn-highways-4208622.php
New York Times. “6 Die in Crash at Toll Station in Connecticut.” 1-20-1983. Accessed 2-28-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/20/nyregion/6-die-in-crash-at-toll-station-in-connecticut.html
New York Times. “The Region; Trucker in Crash may Face Arrest.” 2-12-1983. Accessed 2-28-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/12/nyregion/the-region-trucker-in-crash-may-face-arrest.html
The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “N.C. trucker facing trial.” 11-27-1983, p. 10B. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=193064471&sterm=stratford+toll+booth
Wikipedia. “Connecticut Turnpike.” 2-22-2013 modification. Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Turnpike
[1] Also stating that the driver fell asleep at the wheel: Stuart, Christine. “Ridgefield First Selectman continues fight for tolls in Connecticut.” Middletown Press, CT, 2-26-2013.