Woman faces charges in fatal crash

BROOKFIELD — A 75-year-old woman is facing a negligent homicide charge in a crash that killed a Danbury pedestrian last year.

Linda Pendergast, of Brookfield, was arrested on a warrant last Thursday, nearly eight months after her car hit a pedestrian on Route 25, according to a press release from Brookfield police. Harold Trafton, 58, of Danbury, died in the crash on the morning of Oct. 19.

Pendergast is scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court at 10 a.m. June 25, police said. She did not immediately return a request for comment on Sunday.

She was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and failure to exercise due care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian, police said.

Pendergast’s arrest comes a few weeks after a teen was charged in Danbury in the fatal crash of another Danbury pedestrian. In the Danbury crash, Jhon Jairo Penaherrera, 19, turned himself in after being accused of fatally striking 43-yearold Jose P. Yupangui.

Both Pendergast and Penaherrera were identified as the drivers at the time of the crash.

It is normal for these types of investigations to take several months before drivers are charged, Danbury police said when they arrested Penaherrera.

Penaherrera has not plead in the case and is scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court at 10 a.m. June 27.

Before the Brookfield crash, Trafton had been removing equipment from a trailer on the southbound lane of Route 25, police said at the time. Pendergast was driving south and moved into the northbound lane to go around the trailer when she hit Trafton, police said.

Trafton was sent to Danbury Hospital, where he died.

Trafton was born in Bangor, Maine and had lived in the Danbury area since 1980, according to his obituary. He met the “love of his life,” Patricia, at Barden Corp. in Danbury and the two married and had twins, Jessica and James, his obituary said.

He worked for Elmer Lewis & Sons Excavating in the year before his death. He previously worked for Poughkeepsie Concrete, Site Services of Southbury and F&D Fall Excavating

“Hal was a hard worker who would give you the shirt off his back, and willing to do anything for anyone at the drop of a hat,” his obituary said. “He loved working and doing things at home in the garage.”

He loved building new contraptions and riding his tractor. He was also a big fan of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, the obituary said.

Brookfield police could not be reached Sunday for additional details on the arrest.