ADDISON COUNTY — Vermont State Police responded to two separate crashes on Wednesday, Oct. 12, in which they say drivers rear-ended the vehicle they were following due to inattentive driving.
The first two-vehicle fender-bender occurred around 4:27 p.m. on Route 7 near the intersection of Route 22A in Ferrisburgh.
Police said the accident occurred when a 2010 Ford Escape driven northbound by Max Cummings, 22, of Shelburne rear-ended a 2009 Nissan Versa driven by 17 year-old Vergennes resident. Police said Cummings reported that he had “briefly looked downward” while advancing to the intersection on a green light and hit the vehicle in front of him.
Neither driver was injured as a result of the collision, though the teenager’s vehicle sustained heavy rear-end damage, according to police. Neither alcohol nor drugs played a factor in the collision, authorities said.
The second incident took place at around 6:38 p.m.
State police responded to a minor, two-vehicle accident on Route 17 East in Addison. Police said a 2007 Volvo XC9 driven by Lindsey Reed, 33, of Addison rear-ended a 2007 Volvo S80 driven by Susan Brown, 56, of Albany, Vt. Police said Reed reported travelling around 25 miles per hour going west on Route 17 at around 6:30 p.m. when she struck Brown’s car.
Reed said she had been focusing on the tractor-trailer unit that was ahead of Brown’s car and thus did not notice that Brown had braked, according to state police.
Neither driver was injured and both vehicles sustained minor to moderate damage, according to police, who added they don’t believe that alcohol or drugs played a factor in the collision.
In other recent activity, troopers:
• Cited Christopher Holwager, 26, of Waltham for violation of the conditions of his release, after responding to a report of an “intoxicated individual” at a Green Street home at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14. Police said they released Holwager on a citation to appear in Addison Superior Court on Oct. 17.
• Are investigating a theft from a vehicle that was parked off Goshen Road in Ripton on Sunday, Oct. 16. Police said someone smashed the passenger-side rear window of the vehicle to get in and steal a woman’s purse. Authorities suspect the theft occurred between 1:19 and 1:45 p.m. on Oct. 16. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Trooper Joshua Gurwicz at 388-4919. Information can also be submitted anonymously online at www.vtips.info or by texting “CRIMES” (274637) to Keyword: VTIPS.
• At around 3:40 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 16, responded to a one-vehicle crash on Geary Road near Lincoln Gap Road in Lincoln. Police said their investigation revealed that the driver, Allison Sargent, 19, of Lincoln, had been travelling southbound when she drifted off the road due to “operator error.” Police said no one was injured in this incident.