Police Expect Arrest In Route 302

Hit-And-Run Accident

By Andrew Gorosko

Police this week collected physical evidence from a red Ford pickup truck, which they believe struck a woman jogger, seriously injuring her, while she was running along Route 302 (Sugar Street) during the evening rush on Thursday, May 29. The unidentified truck driver then fled the accident scene.

Marianne Ryder, 43, of 11 Pinnacle Drive in Dodgingtown was jogging eastward along the eastbound road shoulder of Route 302, about 2,000 feet east of Route 302’s intersection with Head O’ Meadow Road, at about 5 pm, when the truck struck her.

Ryder was recovering and in fair condition on June 4 in Danbury Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

“Witnesses reported seeing a red Ford pickup truck with a ladder rack…traveling east on Route 302,” police said.

Before it struck Ryder, the truck left the roadway and went onto the eastbound road shoulder. The front end of the truck then struck the jogger.

The truck had pushed down a row of metal highway reflector poles in the area where it struck Ryder, creating physical evidence in the case.

After the accident, the truck continued eastward to the intersection of Route 302 and Route 25, police said.

The Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported Ryder to Danbury Hospital following the accident.

Police said they have a suspect in the case and will be seeking an arrest warrant from Danbury Superior Court to charge that unidentified person.

Police investigators, aided by Newtown Hook and Ladder firefighters, spent about four hours on Route 302 after the accident, taking measurements and collecting physical evidence for their investigation.

Police placed a small tarp over the area where the impact occurred to preserve physical evidence for investigation. The area was roped off with yellow “Crime Scene” tape to prevent access.

Police made a variety of paint markings on the pavement documenting the apparent dynamics of the accident, which they then photographed as evidence.

The accident occurred at the end of a long straightaway, near the point where the eastbound lane begins a broad curve to the left. The road was dry at the time of the accident. Motorist sight lines in the area are excellent.

The police investigation closed down a section of the Route 302’s eastbound lane, posing travel delays. Police channeled alternating two-way traffic through the westbound lane in that area.

Detective Sergeant Robert Tvardzik said June 3 that police used a court warrant to seize the red Ford pickup truck as evidence on May 30. The damaged truck has Connecticut commercial marker plates.

The detective sergeant declined to identify the suspect in the case or say where the suspect lives, other than to say the person lives out of town.

Police are matching debris that was found at the accident scene with the current condition of the truck in seeking to determine the exact cause of the accident, he said. Police found 30 pieces of evidence at the accident scene, he said. State police aided town police this week in collecting evidence from the seized pickup truck.

Police have located witnesses to the accident, Det Sgt Tvardzik said.

A key charge in the case would be evading responsibility, he said. The court would determine what additional charges would be filed, he said.

Detectives Robert Koetsch and Jason Frank, plus Patrol Officer William Hull are investigating the accident.