Fiery Interstate 95 Crash Attributed to Chevy Camaro Driver

The dramatic, fireball-producing crash on a portion of Interstate 95 running through Norwalk, Connecticut that shut down the highway for more than 72 hours in May has now been attributed to a 22-year-old in a Chevrolet Camaro, according to a Connecticut State Police crash summary.

The crash, which occurred around 5:30 am on Thursday, May 2, closed a significant portion of the vital East Coast interstate until the morning of May 5, largely due to structural concerns about the burned Fairfield Avenue overpass.

First reported by The Norwalk Hour, the two-page crash summary explains that the Chevrolet Camaro collided with the front end of an oil tanker while changing lanes. The muscle car was then forced into a slide, according to the report, in turn forcing the oil tanker to veer out of the right center lane and into a tractor-trailer occupying the left center lane. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries from the crash.

Connecticut State Police say that the tanker, which is owned by Standard Petroleum, was carrying around 8,500 gallons of oil at the time of the crash. The ensuing fire was put out by local fire departments and then examined by hazmat crews, representatives from the state Department of Transportation, and federal highway investigators. Following a three-day cleanup process, I-95 was reopened in full; however, the overpass was too damaged to remain and has since been demolished.

The 22-year-old Camaro driver is a resident of Stamford and a graduate of the University of Connecticut, according to a statement provided to The Norwalk Hour by a university spokesperson. In an email with The Norwalk Hour, Standard Petroleum executive vice president, David Cohen, expressed certainty that the driver of his company's truck was not at fault in the crash.

“The video clearly shows that our driver was not at fault,” Cohen said in an email to The Norwalk Hour. “The state police have not asked for anything else at this time, but we will fully cooperate if they do.”

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