ADDISON COUNTY — A Middlebury man was badly injured in a car vs. truck crash last week that resulted in Route 7 in Ferrisburgh being closed for several hours.
On April 11 at approximately 12:50 p.m. Vermont State Police responded to a crash, on Route 7 near Tuppers Crossing in Ferrisburgh. Troopers report that their initial investigation indicates that John Prushko, 63, of Middlebury was driving a 2002 VW Jetta southbound on Route 7 when he traveled left of center and struck the rear axles of a Freightliner tractor-trailer in the northbound lane, causing it to overturn. The truck came to a rest partially off the road, in the culvert adjacent to the northbound lane.
Police report that the driver of the truck, 24-year-old Alfred Williams, attempted to avoid the crash but was unable to do so.
Prushko was taken by ambulance to the University of Vermont Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. On Tuesday afternoon he was still in the hospital and reported to be in good condition.
Both the Jetta and the truck were considered totaled.
Route 7 was closed for several hours, and open to one lane of travel by 5 p.m.
This crash is still under investigation anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact the New Haven barracks at 388-4919. Criminal charges are pending in this case.
Vermont State Police were assisted on scene by members of the Addison County Sheriff’s Department, Vergennes Police Department, Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement Division, Ferrisburgh and Charlotte fire departments, and the Vergennes and Bristol rescue squads.
Separately, state police late last week announce that they had cited Marble Valley Corrections Facility officer George L. Reed Jr., 52, of Brandon for petit larceny for allegedly falsifying the amount of time he worked over two pay periods in March.
State police at the Rutland barracks launched an internal investigation and determined that Reed falsely reported 19 hours of work at the Rutland jail that he did not work over two pay periods. The incident resulted in Reed getting paid $560.69 for hours he did not work, according to the police report.
Reed, who is a community corrections officer, is to be arraigned on May 14 in Rutland Superior Court, criminal division.
In other recent activity, Vermont State Police:
•  On March 31 at 4:30 p.m. responded to a two-car crash on Route 22A in Addison. Police report that Casey Banks, 32, of South Burlington was southbound when a northbound Honda Civic driven by Karen Carter, 62, of Williston crossed the double yellow center line into the southbound lane and collided with Banks’ Ford Focus. No injuries were reported. Route 22A was temporarily reduced to one lane. Troopers were assisted by the Addison Fire Department, Vergennes Area Rescue Squad and Townline Rescue Squad. Police said they expected to issue a traffic ticket.
•  On April 3 looked into the theft of six propane cylinders from seasonal campers at the Kampersville campground in Salisbury. Police report that Kim Schroeder, 57, of Leicester admitted to committing the thefts and so troopers cited him for petit larceny.
•  On April 5 cited Christopher Sumner, 36, of Ferrisburgh for driving with a criminally suspended license on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh.
•  On April 8 at approximately 9:20 p.m. responded to a report of a family disturbance at a Monkton home. Troopers were told that 37-year-old Kassie Deary of Monkton had left the residence operating a vehicle. After state police found Deary in Hinesburg they cited him for driving under the influence.
•  Investigated an April 9 report of an assault at a Cornwall home. Police cited Jennifer Bliss, 48, of Jeffersonville with domestic assault.
•  On April 9 at 7:15 a.m. were notified of a one-car crash on Panton Road in Panton. Driver Bernard Dam, 57, of Ferrisburgh told police that he swerved to miss a fox that ran in front of his Chevy Silverado, lost control of his vehicle and collided with a utility pole. Dam was transported to Porter Hospital treatment of a broken nose. Police were considering issuing a ticket.
•  As reported last week, on April 9 responded to a report of a human body in the water at Texas Falls in Hancock. Police identified the victim as 35-year-old Kate E. Nicholson of Middlebury. Nicholson’s body was sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington for autopsy. Investigation into the cause and manner of her death is ongoing.
•  After investigating an incident in Whiting, on April 12 cited Kyle LaFountain, 31, of Middlebury for lewd and lascivious conduct, second-degree aggravated domestic assault and violation of pre-trial conditions of release. The charges arose from a March 21 report to state police of a domestic assault in Whiting. Vermont State Police detectives in the Bureau of Criminal Investigations looked into the report, including conducting a number of interviews, and determined that LaFountain was at fault. They located their suspect last week and cited him for the above offenses.
•  On April 13 took Robert Gratton, 39, of Starksboro into custody and transported him to the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility on outstanding arrest warrants. He was held at the jail on $1,600 bail.
•  On April 14 at approximately 10:35 p.m. located a vehicle that had allegedly been involved in a crash on McKnight Lane in Waltham and left the scene without rendering assistance. Police cited Cory Steady, 39, of Vergennes with leaving the scene of an accident, giving false information to a police officer, driving under the influence and driving with a criminally suspended license.
•  On April 15 reported on a March 24 incident, when at around 4:30 a.m. troopers responded to a report of a family fight at a Salisbury home. Police cited Kimberly Lafave, 55, of Salisbury for domestic assault.
•  On April 16 went to a tractor-trailer crash on Route 22A near Brown Lane in Orwell. Police report that David McLaughlin, 57, of Santa Monica, Calif., swerved to avoid hitting an injured deer in the roadway. The tractor-trailer left the road, rolled onto its right side and stopped in a field approximately 100 feet off of Route 22A. McLaughlin was taken to Porter Medical Center by Middlebury Area Emergency Rescue Squad for treatment of a minor head cut.
The Vermont State Police was assisted on scene by the Orwell Fire Department and Middlebury Rescue. A traffic ticket is pending.