Stephen Gharabegian Killed in Truck Accident on I-84 in Tolland, CT
Tolland, CT — January 23, 2023, 59-year-old Stephen Gharabegian died in a collision with a tractor-trailer on Interstate 84 in Tolland.
Authorities say the incident happened around 1:15 p.m. on eastbound I-84 near Exit 69. Preliminary investigation suggests Gharabegian was driving a Mercedes-Benz vehicle east on the highway, a short distance ahead of an 18-wheeler, when he allegedly lost control for unknown reasons. The big rig then somehow struck the driver's side of the Mercedes, after which the car got lodged beneath it.
Gharabegian was transported to an area hospital where he died of his injuries a short time later. The truck driver was unhurt.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information is currently available.
There's a reason I often advise people to take preliminary reports about an accident with a grain or two of salt. The incident in Tolland seems to be a good example: Reports across many major news sources currently have an awful lot of "somehow" and "unknown circumstances" mixed into their narratives right now. It's important that a full investigation make better sense of events; if the driver lost control, how exactly did that happen? Was the road wet or icy? Did something go wrong with the car? How did that loss of control result in the big rig broadsiding the victim? How far apart were they before things started happening? How fast were they traveling?
That's only a handful of the many lingering questions I have after reading the few available details in the news. I have every faith that authorities are working to fill in more blanks, but long experience makes me wonder exactly how many they'll get to before they decide they have something "good enough for government work" and move on. The people who lost a loved one on I-84 deserve nothing less than the whole story and all their questions answered; who'll make sure that happens?
