A duty to carry on Rep. Williams’ work

The good feelings at the start of a new legislative session in Hartford didn’t last long. Just after celebrations for newly elected officials culminated in the governor’s inaugural ball, state Rep. Quentin “Q” Williams died in a highway crash on his way home from the festivities. He was only 39.

It was a stunning loss of one of Connecticut’s brightest voices, at a time when so many were looking forward to the work ahead. Instead, legislators moved to the somber task of eulogizing one of their own, gone far too soon. It’s a terrible tragedy in every respect.

Williams was set to be co-chair position over the Legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee. “Public service was his passion, and he was always advocating on behalf of the people of his hometown,” Gov. Ned Lamont said of the Middletown resident.

Compounding the tragedy was the nature of his death. Williams was killed in a wrong-way collision on a Connecticut highway, something that has become all too common in the recent past.

Williams was driving south on Route 9 in Cromwell near Exit 18 when his vehicle collided with a car driven by a 27-year-old Manchester resident, who was driving in the wrong direction. Both were pronounced dead at the scene and the accident remains under investigation.

Connecticut set a dubious record in 2022 in the number of wrong-way highway crashes. There was no good explanation for the phenomenon, which must be among the most fear-inducing possibilities that could happen on the road. Both cars are traveling fast, so there’s delayed reaction time. And the consequences are so often deadly because of the way the collisions happen.

Fatalities on American highways declined for many years as safety improvements made crashes less likely to be deadly. Similarly, improved medical care meant that people who made it to the hospital alive were more likely to survive than in years past.

But in the past half-decade, those improvements have turned around. American roads are getting less safe. More people are dying, both behind the wheel and outside of vehicles. The onus is always on the driver to be safe, but the danger can spread to people who aren’t even on the roads.

There have been many explanations offered, from the rise in potential distractions inside vehicles to the very design of our roads, which emphasize speed at the expense of other considerations. All of them play a role, and more must be done to keep our roads safer for everyone.

But at a certain point, there’s no more to be done. A person who, for instance, drives while intoxicated makes a decision to do so. Improved road design won’t stop that, and in fact the problem may get worse as more substances are legalized that can impair driving.

All those discussions are important, and must be prioritized. For now, the focus is on the life of Quentin “Q” Williams. He was more than a state legislator. He was a voice of his hometown, and bright light in Connecticut’s public life and someone with a burning desire to make the world a better place.

As they mourn his loss, his colleagues must see that his message lives on.

He was more than a state legislator. He was a voice of his hometown, and bright light in Connecticut’s public life and someone with a burning desire to make the world a better place.