Paul Bass Photo
Matthew Larson heard a crash around 1 p.m. Wednesday — and came outside to see what you see in the above picture. That’s his Camry.
Larson (pictured surveying the damage), a certified nursing assistant, lives on West Rock Avenue where it slopes between Yale Avenue and Whalley Avenue across from Edgewood Park.
His car was parked in front of his house when the driver of a Dodge Charger came speeding down the hill and crashed into it. It sounded like an explosion to neighbors up and down the block and people in the Edgewood Park lot.
The Charger’s air bags deployed in the crash. The driver, a 43-year-old New Haven man, left the vehicle and started running around, shirtless, and speaking oddly. After he allegedly sought to leave the scene, police sat him down and interviewed him; he seemed disoriented.
A 17-year-old passenger told firefighters (pictured) who arrived on the scene that he felt fine and didn’t need to go to the hospital. They told him because he is a minor they wanted him to be checked out at the hospital, anyway, just in case.
The driver went to the hospital for a medical evaluation, according to police spokesperson Capt. Anthony Duff. Police expect to charge him for failure to drive in the proper lane, for evading responsibility for an accident, and for interfering with officers.