By Daniel Tepfer
Connecticut Post Online
Copyright 2007 MediaNews Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — The crash between a car and firetruck that claimed the life of a city woman and seriously injured her mother remained under investigation Wednesday.

Gwendolyn Little, 58, of Willow Street, was pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital after the Tuesday afternoon accident. Her mother, Essie Williams, 77, of Platt Street, a passenger in Little's car, had surgery for multiple injuries at Bridgeport Hospital and remained hospitalized Wednesday night in critical condition.

Police Lt. James Viadero said investigators are still waiting to speak to the mother as they sift through factors that contributed to the fatal accident.

Meanwhile, fire officials said Wednesday the driver of the Ladder Co. 5 truck had little time to react before colliding with Little's Ford Taurus sedan.

The crash occurred about 4 p.m. at Congress Street and Housatonic Avenue, just down the street from fire headquarters.

Deputy Fire Chief Robert Petrucelli said the ladder truck, driven by David Otero, an 18-year veteran of the Fire Department, had just left fire headquarters on an emergency call. The truck was headed west on Congress Street to investigate the report of smoke in a Catherine Street building, with its emergency lights flashing and siren blaring.

He said Otero slowed the truck at the Congress Street intersection with Housatonic Avenue, noticed there were no signs of traffic on the south side and a line of stopped cars on the north side of the intersection. The firetruck entered the intersection as Little's car suddenly pulled into the intersection from the north side of Housatonic Avenue in front of the truck, Petrucelli said.

"It all happened in a split second," he said. "The vehicle was in front of him, and by the time he put his foot on the brake, the vehicle had made contact," he said.

Neither Otero nor the three other firefighters on the truck suffered physical injuries in the crash, Petrucelli said. "But all the firefighters were very upset and emotionally shaken," he said.

Petrucelli said this was the first motor vehicle fatality involving a city firetruck that has occurred in his 30 years with the Fire Department.

He said that, in conformance with standard protocols for accidents involving fire vehicles, Otero was required to undergo a drug and alcohol test. He said results of the test have not been returned from the lab.