A one-car accident took place on Fairfield Beach Road at 10:33 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5. which took out the stairs of a home and sent the driver, Peter Jones ‘17 of Summit, N.J., to Bridgeport Hospital, according to the Fairfield Citizen.
After further investigation, the Fairfield Citizen reported that after a warrant was issued Jones turned himself in on Monday, April 17.
Jones was released and issued to appear in state Superior Court in Bridgeport on May 2, according to the Fairfield Citizen.
Police said that 26-year-old Jones appeared to “have been travelling at a high speed when he went over a hump in the road and lost control of his pickup truck,” the Fairfield Citizen reported.
According to Lieutenant Robert Kalamaras of the Fairfield Police Department, the pickup truck, a 2011 Ford F-150, “was travelling eastbound on Fairfield Beach Road when [it] crossed over the center line and went off the left side of the roadway striking a parked vehicle in the driveway of 1054 Fairfield Beach Road.”
The parked vehicle belonged to Olivia Mansfield ‘17.
“The crash resulted in my car being totaled and there is damage on the house as well,” said Mansfield. “The moment of impact caused one of the support beams to be ripped out of the roof, as well as the staircase leading up to the house to be damaged as well.”
The truck continued through a yard and crashed into the front façade of 1024 Fairfield Beach Road, causing structural damage to the building and came to rest after striking the house, according to Kalamaras.
The accident took place shortly after the conclusion of the Super Bowl.
“It appears at this time that speed was a factor [in the collision]. We are looking to see if intoxication was also a factor,” said Kalamaras.
Jones was taken to the hospital by American Medical Response complaining of shoulder pain, according to Kalamaras.
A Blood Alcohol Content test was not given to Jones due to his injuries. The Fairfield Police Department will seek to obtain a search warrant for Jones’ blood alcohol levels from medical records based on the blood drawn at the hospital shortly after the crash.
Mansfield explained that her car was totaled and that there was damage on the house as well due to the crash.
It is still unclear whether or not the very front portion of the house is safe to be in, according to Mansfield.
Dean of Students Karen Donoghue ‘03 commented, “The safety and protection of our students and the larger Fairfield community remains a top priority for us. Students involved in any activity that potentially could violate University policy are subject to University disciplinary action.”
According to Kalamaras, “[Jones] was arrested by this department in the past for driving under the influence.” Jones’ previous arrest took place on April 3, 2016, according to The Fairfield Citizen.
When asked if anyone else apart from Jones was injured in the collision, Kalamaras responded, “not to my knowledge.”
The collision is still under investigation by the Crash Reconstruction Unit.
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