STONINGTON — A 52-year-old Plainville man has been identified as the driver of a Toyota Solara that struck a police cruiser at a roadside work zone Monday, leaving a town police sergeant with serious injuries.
No charges have been filed in the case, which left decorated Stonington Police Sgt. Mario Ritacco with serious injuries and driver David L. MacCracken with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The Connecticut State Police Eastern District’s Major Crime Squad and Accident Reconstruction Squad have both assumed roles in the investigation.
Connecticut State Police said in an accident information summary released Wednesday that Ritacco was on work zone duty along Route 184 near the intersection of Jeremy Hill Road Monday when the crash occurred. Stonington police have said Ritacco was working alongside a cable television crew with his cruiser parked facing southwest in the eastbound lane as he directed traffic.
State police said MacCracken was traveling eastbound when he approached the parked cruiser and Ritacco.
“(MacCracken) then continued in a northeasterly direction, subsequently colliding head-on (off-set) into the Ford Police Interceptor. Following impact, the Ford Police Interceptor was forced into Ritacco,” the police report said.
Ritacco was taken by Life Star emergency medical helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital, where Deputy Chief Todd Olson said Tuesday morning he was “stable and doing well,” although he still faced a long road to recovery. A 22-year member of the Stonington Police Department, Ritacco has earned numerous commendations, awards and promotions over the past two decades.
MacCracken sustained what the report described as “suspected minor injuries” and was taken by ambulance to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London.
Any witnesses to the collision or the moments prior are asked to contact Detective Justin Clachrie of the Eastern District Major Crime Squad at justin.clachrie@ct.gov or Detective Ryan Hackett of the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad at ryan.hackett@ct.gov.
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