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Vermont State Police Log: Troopers investigate fiery crash

ADDISON COUNTY — Vermont State Police are investigating a fiery, one-car crash that occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 14 in Monkton.
Police report that Trevor Howard, 26, of Ferrisburgh was driving a 2014 Nissan Versa northbound on Monkton Road at around 2:45 p.m. that day when he experienced a medical event that caused him to drive off the road and hit a tree near the intersection with Parks Hurlburt Road. The crash resulted in the vehicle catching fire.
Passersby helped pull Howard from his vehicle, and he was transported to Fletcher Allen Health Care with multiple fractures. As of Tuesday afternoon, Fletcher Allen officials said Howard was in fair condition.
Several area fire departments responded to extinguish the fire.
State police operating out of the New Haven barracks are continuing to investigate the crash and ask anyone with information on it to contact them at 802-388-4919, or submit an anonymous tip texting “CRIMES” (274637) with keyword “VTIPS” or by going online to http://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
In other recent activity, state police
•  On Oct. 13 looked into a report that at around 2 p.m. that day a family in Monkton returned to their Bristol Road home from a trip to find that 19-year-old Joshua Garrow of New Haven had been at their residence over the weekend while they were gone. Garrow had an active no-trespass order against him for the property resulting from a previous incident. On Oct. 14 Garrow voluntarily came to the New Haven barracks, and police said he admitted to having been at the property even though he was prohibited. Police cited him for unlawful trespass.
•  On Oct. 14 at 5:48 p.m. responded to a report that a vehicle had hit a bicyclist on Route 125 in Cornwall. Police reported that 75-year-old Raymond Boise of Middlebury was driving a 2005 Dodge Caravan eastbound on Route 125 when he clipped a bicyclist with the passenger side mirror of his vehicle. The bicyclist, identified as 20-year-old Noah Stone of Falmouth, Maine, suffered a skinned knee and sore tailbone and was treated on the scene by emergency medical technicians and released. The bicycle sustained minor damage to the seat and rear tire. No court action was planned.
•  On Oct. 14 at 6:02 p.m. stopped a vehicle driven by 43-year-old Neil Clifford of Milton for speeding on North Street in New Haven. Police said that during the stop they found that Clifford had prescription pills for which he did not have a prescription and they cited him for illegal possession of a controlled substance.
•  On Oct. 14 at 9:20 p.m. stopped a vehicle driven by Chad Rule, 27, of Bristol on Plank Road in New Haven for speeding. During the stop, Rule showed signs of intoxication. Police said his preliminary blood alcohol content tested at 0.093 percent; the legal limit for driving is 0.08 percent. The trooper cited Rule for driving under the influence.
•  On Oct. 16 at 8:51 p.m. responded to a one-car crash on Route 30 in Cornwall, where police found that a 17-year-old from Whiting had driven a 2003 Nissan Murano into a ditch after what the driver described as mechanical failure in the steering or suspension that caused her to lose control of the vehicle. The driver was unhurt but the Nissan sustained extensive undercarriage and suspension damage.
•  On Oct. 17 at approximately 4:03 a.m. received a call about a single-car crash on Interstate 89 northbound in the area of Exit 11 in Richmond. At the scene police found a second vehicle was involved in the crash. Police said Paul Gregory, 66, of North Ferrisburgh was driving a full-size tractor-trailer with an empty tanker and was passing a Chevy pickup driven by Albert Gaboriault, 68, of Bradford. Gregory believed he had fully passed the pickup and started to merge the tractor-trailer back into the right lane of travel. As he did this, Gregory’s tractor-trailer collided with the driver’s side of Gaboriault’s pickup, police said, causing Gaboriault to lose control of his vehicle and collide with the guardrail on the bridge; his airbag deployed. The pickup sustained substantial front and side damage. Police said they determined that Gregory caused the crash by failing to drive in the correct lane and failing to use his directional signals when changing lanes, and they issued him civil traffic tickets for these two offenses.
•  On Oct. 19 at 24 minutes passed midnight stopped a motor vehicle on Route 17, near the Routes 17/116 four-corners in Bristol for a traffic infraction. Police said they found that the driver of the vehicle, identified as 24-year-old Patrick R. Shaughnessy of Troy, N.H., was operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicants. A breath test on the scene showed a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent, which is the limit at which it is illegal to drive. The trooper cited Shaughnessy for DUI.
•  On Oct. 19 investigated a report of a domestic assault report at a Smead Road home in Salisbury. Police said their investigation showed that Benjamin Adams, 32, of Salisbury violated a final protection order and in the process of doing so also committed unlawful restraint and simple assault. They said he also drove to and from the scene and that his driver’s license was criminally suspended. Police arrested Adams, cited him for domestic assault, violation of a final protection order, unlawful restraint and driving with a criminally suspended license and lodged him at the Chittenden County Correctional Center for lack of $5,000 bail.
•  On Oct. 19 at 8:33 p.m. attempted to stop a vehicle driven by 25-year-old John St. Germain of Whiting on Richville Road in Shoreham for speeding. St. Germain led police on a four-mile pursuit at high rates of speed through several back roads in Shoreham, Trooper Hanley reported. Germain was stopped, arrested and charged with attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, driving with a criminally suspended license, speeding, and careless and negligent driving.
•  On Oct. 20 at 11:12 a.m. received a report of an unknown man wandering on private property, around houses and down driveways on Hopkins Road in Panton. State police found the man, who identified himself as Damian Chamberlain, 19, of Addison. The trooper said she found more than two ounces of suspected marijuana on Chamberlain, cited him for felony possession of marijuana and lodged him at the Marble Valley Correctional Facility for lack of $1,000 bail.
State police, in conjunction with the Vermont Governor’s Highway Safety Program and the National Highway Safety Administration, this week alerted Vermonters that National Teen Driver Safety Week is Oct. 19-25. The goal of the observance is to raise awareness in teens and parents about one of the most dangerous things they will do — drive a vehicle. Crashes are the United States’ leading killer of youths age 16-19 years old.
In a release, Trooper Thomas E. Fields, VSP law enforcement liaison, reminded parents that they should be the driver they want their teen to be.
“Buckle your seat belt and respect the act of driving,” Fields said. “Know that a teenager’s first car is more than a financial decision. Teens are more likely to sit behind the wheel of a used vehicle, and also more likely to take risks. Bigger vehicles offer more protection, but avoid higher horsepower. More powerful engines mean more powerful risks.”
Fields urged teens to drive and ride like a friend.
“Buckle up and respect the privilege of driving,” he said. “Agree with your parents on limits of when you drive, particularly in high-risk situations like prom night, social outings and inclement weather. Form a plan and have clear understandings of where you are driving, who you are with, what route you are taking and confirm check-in times with your parents. Establish back-up plans. If you make a mistake or you end up in an unplanned situation, make sure you have a responsible adult you can call.”

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