Mass Casualty Incident Declared in New Haven Pile-Up

NORTH HAVEN, CT — Interstate 91 northbound was shut down in North Haven for hours Tuesday after a multi-car accident shortly after 12 noon.

About 11:40 a.m., North Haven firefighters responded to a crash on I-91 north near Exit 9 involving 25 to 30 cars, according to North Haven Fire Chief Paul Januszewski. The highway was closed to allow emergency vehicles to get to the crash, Januszewski said. A mass casualty incident was declared, prompting Yale-New Haven Hospital physicians to respond to the scene, he said. Ambulances from nearby towns also responded.

Januszewski said several cars spun out and crashed into each other along a 2-mile stretch. A tanker truck was also involved in the pileup. In one instance, a motorist had to be extricated from a vehicle. He said 16 people were taken to area hospitals with varying injuries.

The highway remained closed until 2:00 p.m., while cars involved in the accidents were removed from the highway.