Middletown man ID’d in fatal dump truck crash

The driver killed Thursday after a dump truck he was driving hit a highway overpass in Milford was involved in another rollover three months prior.

Edward Drozd, 63, of Congdon Street in Middletown, died at Yale New Haven Hospital on Thursday after he was thrown from his dump truck when it hit the Quarry Lane overpass of Interstate 95 in Milford near Exit 41 around 7:45 a.m.

Responding units found Drozd between the center and right lanes with serious injuries. Connecticut State Police said the dump truck was registered to Campos Trucking on Aiken Street in Norwalk.

The force of the impact ripped the rear box bed off the truck’s wheels and severely mangled the truck’s cab. The wreck left the truck overturned, blocking all lanes of I-95 and shutting down the highway for about seven hours.

“At some point unbeknownst to the (dump truck) driver, the dump body became raised, or was unintentionally left in the raised position, and remained in the up position, or partial up position as the vehicle traveled north in the right lane,” the state police report about the crash said.

A vehicle driven by Susan Jackson, 68, of Greenwich, hit the dump body. She was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

And though Thursday’s crash remains under investigation, another crash involving Drozd on July 23 led to him being charged for driving unreasonably fast.

In July, a sport utility vehicle driven by a Massachusetts woman and a sedan driven by a Shelton woman were stopped in heavy traffic in the center lane of Route 8 south near Exit 2 in Bridgeport. Drozd approached the stopped traffic in a dump truck but was unable to brake in time.

At the time, state police said Drozd hit the back of the sedan, which pushed into the SUV. Drozd then veered to the right, lost control and the dump truck rolled onto the driver’s side. The two women were taken to Bridgeport Hospital and treated for minor injuries.

After the summer incident, Drozd was charged with failing to maintain a reasonable distance and traveling unreasonably fast for conditions.

Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media Route 8 southbound is closed after a dump truck rolled over in Bridgeport on July 23. The driver was identified as Edward Drozd, of Congdon Street in Middletown.