Responders Send Driver To Get Help After Wild Crash In Mansfield

MANSFIELD, CT — A 38-year-old Griswold man is facing a felony charge, among others, for an incident in Mansfield in September.

But it wasn't until concerned responders sent him to get help, according to law enforcement records.

State police said a warrant was served to the man the day before Thanksgiving charging him with first-degree criminal mischief, along with assault on a public safety officer, the use of drug paraphernalia, driving under the influence, driving while under suspension, and driving an unregistered vehicle.

He posted a $25,000 bond and is due in Rockville Superior Court on Dec. 10, records show.

State police said the incident took place at 1:48 p.m. on Sept. 7.

A 2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette mini-van had crashed along the 200 block of Pleasant Valley Road and state police, fire and ambulance crews descended upon the scene, according to a warrant. The van's airbag had been deployed and it had sustained "disabling damage," including a dislodged front wheel on the driver's side, according to a warrant.

A stone wall was damaged, which the van crashed through, according to a warrant.

The man had to be wrestled onto a stretcher and his eyes were red and his speech was slurred, according to a warrant. He was also making references to harming himself, and responders suggested an emergency evaluation at Windham Hospital, according to a warrant.

The van was cluttered with prescription medication containers, trash, empty beer bottles and clothes, according to a warrant.

The crash followed a strange sequence at Windham Hospital, where, about 30 minutes earlier, the man had pulled up to another car, slammed on the horn and began talking gibberish to another motorist, according to a warrant. He then made several confusing K-turns before leaving the lot, according to a warrant.

Another motorist then witnessed the crash on Pleasant Valley, according to a warrant. The driver stopped to help and the man, standing next to the van in his undergarments, asked for an ambulance, according to a warrant.

After being examined at the hospital, the man showed signs of having alcohol, cocaine and benzodiazephine, a nervous system depressant drug, in his system, according to a warrant.