ADDISON COUNTY — Several people were seriously injured in a fiery minivan crash on Route 22A in Addison this past Saturday.
On Feb. 27 at around 12:45 a.m. Vermont State Police responded to a report that a Dodge Grand Caravan had crashed into a tree off Route 22A near Stickle Road. While they were on the way, troopers were told the vehicle was engulfed in flames and all occupants were out of the vehicle.
Driver Kenneth Clark, 78, of Hinesburg, and passengers Kristie Norton, 58, of Hinesburg and Michele Harrison, 43, of Petersburg, Va., were transported to UVM Medical Center for injuries sustained as a result of this crash. The passengers’ injuries were described as serious and the driver’s as minor.
State police investigated and determined that Clark was driving northbound on Route 22A when his vehicle left the roadway for unknown reasons and struck a tree off the same side of the road.
Police said a traffic ticket was pending.
In other recent activity, troopers:
•  On Feb. 24 at around 9:20 p.m. responded to a report of a one-car crash on Market Road in Shoreham. While speaking with driver Jordyn Walker, 22, of Starksboro, trooper said they detected signs of alcohol impairment and so they screened Walker for driving under the influence. Police ended up citing Walker for DUI.
•  On Feb. 28 at about 10:12 a.m. responded to a 911 call for a reported assault in New Haven. When police got there, they found that the accused had left the area driving a vehicle and was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol. Shortly thereafter troopers located Michael Dipalermo, 54, of Ferrisburgh at his residence. Police took him into custody, transported him to the state police barracks in New Haven and cited him for DUI, domestic assault, and unlawful mischief.
Meanwhile, state police on Monday announced that a nearly $1 million federal grant awarded to the Vermont Department of Public Safety will launch an innovative partnership with community advocacy organizations and a national research group aimed at reducing domestic violence in Vermont.
Grant funds will be divided among the Vermont State Police, the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center.
The goals of the grant-funded initiative: Develop more effective ways to intervene with people who cause harm in their relationships, expand the focus of reducing domestic violence to be more inclusive of historically marginalized communities, and harness research to target the effort most effectively at centering the safety of survivors.
In Vermont each year, an average of 50% of all homicides are the result of interpersonal or domestic violence. In 2019, the Vermont Network reports that its 16 member organizations answered 18,921 hotline calls and helped 8,760 individuals, predominantly with issues of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The grant will enable the Vermont Network to hire a coordinator to oversee the project, support the creation of a working group to manage the initiative, cover the costs of CSG Justice Center research, and provide funding to cover a domestic violence response coordinator within the Vermont State Police.
The working group will collaborate with the CSG Justice Center to gather and process data, conduct interviews, engage stakeholders and take additional steps as needed to provide a deep examination of Vermont’s systems for domestic violence intervention and prevention. The group then will make recommendations on structural and systemic reforms, and work with policymakers to implement those reforms.
One goal is to look beyond heterosexual relationships and provide more support for people in same-sex relationships, BIPOC individuals, immigrants, refugees, and the state’s farmworker community, among others.
The project also will develop more effective and timely intervention strategies with people who cause harm in their relationships, including restorative justice and addressing abusers who also experience substance-use disorder.