Woman dies after deer crashes through windshield

EASTON — A Newtown woman died in the hospital last week one day after a deer crashed through her windshield on Route 59, police say.

In a post on Facebook, the Easton Police Department said Erin Heneghan, 47, died last Tuesday as a result of injuries sustained in the motor vehicle accident.

Easton Police Chief Richard Doyle said Monday officers, fire personnel and emergency medical workers were alerted to a serious accident on Route 59 about 9 a.m. on Nov. 20.

When first responders arrived, Doyle said they found a damaged 2019 Ford pickup truck by the side of the road and a 2015 Honda Pilot off the roadway resting upright with the driver’s side against a utility pole.

Doyle said the woman driving the Honda, now identified as Heneghan, was extricated from the vehicle and was transported to Bridgeport Hospital. The Fairfield Accident Reconstruction Team and the Westport Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team responded as well.

Doyle said a pickup truck was traveling north on Route 59 when a large deer entered the road from the right side. He said the truck hit the deer, causing it to go airborne and crash into the Honda, which was travelling in the other direction.

“The deer struck the windshield and entered the passenger compartment of the SUV,” he said. “It continued through the vehicle and was ejected out through the rear window.”

Doyle said the deer came to rest on the southbound shoulder, while the Honda continued to travel south and came to rest in a tall grassy area on the southbound shoulder.