Canterbury, CT — A 19-year-old Canterbury woman was seriously injured Sunday evening after striking a tree just minutes from her home.
At approximately 10:02 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2026, the Canterbury Fire Department, EMS, and a paramedic were dispatched to the area of 407 Westminster Road (Route 14) for a motor vehicle crash.
The ambulance was the first unit to arrive on scene, approximately six minutes after dispatch, and reported one person entrapped in the vehicle with serious injuries. The Scotland Fire Department was requested to assist with extrication, and Quinebaug Valley Emergency Communications (QVEC) dispatchers began contacting area services in search of an air medical helicopter. Due to aviation weather conditions, neither LIFESTAR nor Life Flight was able to accept the mission.
Crews worked for approximately an hour cutting apart the vehicle to free the sole occupant. Once extricated, she was transported to Backus Hospital in Norwich with life-threatening injuries.
According to the Connecticut State Police, investigators determined that the operator, a 19-year-old woman who resides on Ulasik Road in Canterbury, was traveling eastbound on Westminster Road in a 2013 Buick Regal when she traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck multiple trees.
The collision remains under investigation. State Police are asking anyone who may have information or video related to the crash to contact Trooper Gaertner at Troop D at 860-779-4900.
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