Second driver in fiery crash ID’d; victims remembered as kind, generous

Police onMondayreleasedthenameofthe second person who died in last week’s fiery crash on Route 185 in Simsbury.

Johnathan Hamilton, 19, of Simsbury died in the Oct. 6 collision, Chief Nicholas Boulter said.

Susan Truth Scotti, 57, of Granby also died in the crash, which involved three vehicles and their drivers. The third driver had minor injuries.

The crash happened shortly before 5 p.m., when Hamilton was driving a Volvo XC60 SUVeastupthemountain. TheVolvocrossed over the center line into the lane for westbound traffic, striking Scotti’s Honda Accord nearly head-on, Boulter said.

After the impact, the Volvo continued traveling across the road, coming to a rest in the grass next to the west lane, where it burned, he said. The Honda and the Chevy Silverado pickup truck behind it also collided, the chief said. Scotti was able to talk to firefighters as they worked to rescue her from the crushed car and get her into an ambulance, but she later died, Boulter said.

Hamiltondiedofbluntimpactandinjuryto the torso, hesaid, andScotti diedofbluntforce trauma to the torso and extremities.

Both Scotti, a mother and longtime state employee, and Hamilton, an ultimate frisbee player, were remembered as kind, giving people. A probate court systems analyst for more than 28 years, Scotti leaves behind a husband and a daughter and son who are twins, said family members in an email from her niece, Jessica Maura.

“Shewouldtakeyourworriesseriouslyand in stride nomatterhowstupid, illogical, terrible, or embarrassing, and offer much needed commonsensewroughtwithlove,” they said. “Her simple presence could be like magic in its ability to banish anxiety or brighten a bad day, and she could be the sense in the world whenever there was none.”

Hamilton moved to Simsbury from North

Carolina and attended local schools before going to Talcott Mountain Academy in Avon, his obituary said. He graduated from The Watkinson School in Hartford, where he was co-captain of thevarsity ultimate frisbee team. HamiltonendedupbackinNorthCarolinaat HighPointUniversity, wherehecontinuedto play ultimate frisbee, the obit said.

“He loved spending time with his friends and is remembered as a kind, gentle, generous and loving soul who was taken too soon,” it said. His calling hours are scheduled for Thursday.