Watch Conn. State Trooper stops the wrong driver

By means of Justin Muszynski

Source Hartford Courant

A state police cruiser was struck early Friday in a wrong-way crash on Route 8 in Litchfield.

The crash came after state troopers received numerous 911 calls reporting a motorist driving the wrong way on Route 8 North near Exit 42 just before 12:05 p.m. Connecticut State Police.

An officer responding to the scene saw the motorist and activated his emergency lights and siren to alert the driver to stop. Dashboard camera footage from the cruiser showed the officer slowing down as a pair of headlights approached him before stopping in the left lane, prompting the wrong-way driver to slow down but not stop.

State police said the driver was reportedly traveling about 30 miles per hour when he tried to maneuver around the driver’s side of the cruiser, striking the vehicle and causing what is known as a head-on collision.

There were no injuries.

State police said the driver, 85-year-old Gerald Lapointe of Florence, Massachusetts, was taken to Waterbury Hospital due to a “disturbed state of mind.” He was issued a violation for driving the wrong way on a divided highway, according to state police.

Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene.

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