ADDISON COUNTY — An Orwell man was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center after a one-vehicle ATV accident that Vermont State Police said occurred in his driveway off Route 73 late on May 2. As of Tuesday afternoon, a Dartmouth-Hitchcock spokesperson said Ronald Parent, 59, was still listed in critical condition.
Parent was first taken to Porter Hospital before being moved to Dartmouth-Hitchcock; VSP said in a press release he had suffered head trauma.
VSP said Parent’s ATV rolled over on him as he was driving a 2015 Can-Am Renegade in what they said was “an erratic manner.” They also wrote the accident, which occurred on a gravel surface in clear, dry conditions, remains under investigation.
In another matter, state police are warning heroin users about the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced heroin, noting that a number of recent overdoses, some fatal, have been linked to pure fentanyl or the combination of the two drugs.
In at least some instances, the fentanyl-laced heroin or pure fentanyl is being sold with packaging that includes, but is not necessarily limited to, unmarked red and white glassine bags, sandwich bags, folded dollar bills, red devils with images of baby faces in blue ink, images of “the king” with gorilla heads, and red Superman images.
VSP recommends heroin users be extremely careful of the products they buy because the use of a fentanyl-laced batch of heroin, or especially pure fentanyl, can easily lead to overdose and death. They said the presence of fentanyl in Vermont is gradually becoming more common, along with the dangers it poses.
According to the Vermont Department of Health, fentanyl is an opioid drug that is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, and much deadlier; even a very small amount of pure fentanyl can stop breathing and be fatal.
In other recent activity, state police:
•  On April 28 worked with Vergennes police to locate an Addison woman with Alzheimer’s who had left her home to run into Vergennes and not returned. Hours later, city police eventually acted on a tip and found her driving on Route 22A south of Vergennes, and they and VSP pulled her car over in the city and returned her home.
•  On April 29 at 11:08 p.m. cited Donald L. Brown, 48, of Bristol for driving under the influence of alcohol, second offense, and careless and negligent operation of a motor vehicle. VSP said they stopped a car driven by Brown after it made a U-turn on South Street in the village, driving off the shoulder as it did so. They alleged his roadside blood-alcohol content tested at 0.136 percent; the legal limit for driving is 0.08.
•  On April 30 at 1:57 a.m. cited Zelda Brooks, 36, of Roxbury for DUI after responding to help a vehicle that got stuck in mud on Gore Road in Starksboro. Police said they found Brooks with her car, which was “well off” the traveled portion of the road. VSP allege her blood alcohol content tested at 0.173.
•  On May 1 at 3:53 p.m. responded to a two-car crash at the intersection of Richville and Shoreham Depot roads in Shoreham. VSP said they are still investigating this accident and ask that anyone who saw anything to call them at (802) 388-4919 or submit an anonymous tip at www.vtips.info.
•  On May 2 cited Brian E. Toomey Jr., 41, of Orwell for operating a motor vehicle with a criminally suspended license and for attempting to elude police. VSP said they saw him driving illegally at around 5 p.m. and pulled his vehicle over on Needham Hill Road in Orwell, only to see him drive off. Police followed and soon after arrested him at his home, they said.
•  On May 2 investigated a collision on Route 116 south of Bristol that occurred just before noon. Police reported that Cody Broughton, 20, of Bridport was driving a Dodge truck southbound at approximately 50 mph through a curve when the front driver’s side tire came off his vehicle and hit a northbound  Subaru Forester driven by 75-year-old Virginia Heidke of Middlebury. No injuries were sustained in the crash, but Heidke’s vehicle sustained major damage. State police do not believe alcohol or drugs were factors in the collision. No citations were issued.
•  Warned earlier this week that at least one sobriety checkpoint is planned for Addison County during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.