Date: Fri 21-Mar-1997

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Voccola-accident-lawsuit

Full Text:

Accident In Monroe Draws Lawsuit In Newtown

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

A Shelton man has notified the Town of Newtown he intends to sue it over an

auto accident that happened in Monroe last December.

Attorney Francis Teodosio of Shelton has notified the town clerk that his

client, Brian Voccola, 23, of Shelton, intends to sue the town concerning

injuries Mr Voccola received and damage that occurred to his motor vehicle in

a December 15, 1996, accident in Monroe, just over the Newtown town line.

Such a notice of intention to sue must be filed before an actual lawsuit can

be brought against Newtown by Mr Voccola.

The accident took place on Bagburn Road in Monroe, just six feet south of the

bridge that spans the Halfway River. The river is the Newtown-Monroe boundary.

Mr Voccola had been driving southbound on Jordan Hill Road in Newtown just

before 2 am when he swerved his car to avoid striking the bridge's wall. In

swerving, he collided with a tree on the other side of the bridge in Monroe,

according to the notice.

"The motor vehicle accident was caused by the defective layout, defective

configuration, and/or lack of traffic control devices, lights and signs," the

notice states.

A Monroe Police Department report on the December 15 accident states, in part,

Mr Voccola "skidded in attempts to avoid hitting the bridge, missed the

bridge, lost control and struck a tree. Vehicle then came to rest against

another tree. Operator was transported to Danbury Hospital due to his minor

injuries."

Monroe police said Mr Voccola failed to drive to the right.

According to the notice of intent to sue the town, Mr Voccola alleges that:

the roadway for southbound motorists on Jordan Hill Road turns to the right

too severely to allow motorists to know that a narrow bridge which further

turns to the right is immediately ahead; Jordan Hill Road has inadequate sight

lines to let motorists see that a bridge is immediately ahead; the road is too

narrow to let motorists see that an even more narrow bridge is immediately

ahead; and the road doesn't have control signals or warning devices which

would notify motorists of the bridge or that speed should be reduced due to

the bridge, among other complaints.

Due to the accident, Mr Voccola received injuries to his spine, chest, right

shoulder, right collar bone, and right side of the neck, according to the

notice. Also, the Ford damaged in the accident isn't repairable, it adds.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 21-Mar-1997

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