A Connecticut State Police trooper patrolling Westbrook Road northbound in Essex came across a car that had left the roadway, traveled down an embankment, and come to rest on its side after striking a tree. The driver was found unconscious but breathing, and was airlifted to Hartford Hospital, where state police say the person is now in stable condition.
According to WFSB, the crash happened Friday on Westbrook Road. Route 153 is also known as Essex Road. Fire crews and EMS personnel responded to the scene and worked together to free the driver from the wreckage, per state police. LIFE STAR, Hartford HealthCare's critical care air ambulance service, then flew the driver to Hartford Hospital.
Volunteer Crews and State Troopers Coordinate Response
The extrication effort fell to Essex Fire Engine Co. No. 1, an all-volunteer department that operates out of headquarters on Saybrook Road and a second station in Ivoryton. The department regularly handles emergency calls on local roads, as well as Route 9 and Route 153, according to the Town of Essex. A Connecticut State Police trooper was patrolling Westbrook Road.
LIFE STAR has operated since 1985 as Connecticut's primary critical care air ambulance service, per WTNH. Hartford Hospital, where the driver was taken, is an American College of Surgeons-verified Level 1 Trauma Center serving as the primary tertiary trauma facility for adult emergency patients across Northern and Central Connecticut, with more than 100,000 emergency department visits annually.
A Road With a History of Off-Road Crashes
This is not the first serious incident on or near Westbrook Road. In February 2025, Essex Fire Engine Co. No. 1 responded to a single-vehicle crash on Woodland Drive, just off Westbrook Road, after the vehicle involved caught fire shortly after 9:15 p.m. A car also struck a utility pole and blocked Westbrook Road, according to CrimeRadar.
The connected Route 153 corridor has also seen tragedy. In May 2026, state police charged a driver with negligent homicide in connection with a fatal June 2025 head-on collision on Route 153 near the Essex-Westbrook line that killed a 63-year-old Navy veteran, with troopers noting the driver had crossed the center line after failing to pay attention, according to Daily Voice.
Statewide Data Points to Roadway Departures
Single-vehicle roadway departures, including off-road run-offs, embankment plunges, and tree collisions, account for a significant share of severe traffic injuries and fatalities recorded across Connecticut roads each year, according to the Connecticut Crash Data Repository maintained by the University of Connecticut. To combat that trend on rural two-lane highways, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has installed centerline rumble strips, which the agency reports reduce fatal crashes by up to 44% and injuries by 66%.
No further details have been released about what caused the driver to leave the roadway on Westbrook Road, and state police have not indicated whether speed, distraction, or road conditions played a role. The driver remains in stable condition at Hartford Hospital.
