BRIDGEPORT, CT — Two people died after separate overnight crashes in Bridgeport that happened less than 30 minutes apart, according to police. The first collision involved an SUV and a motorcycle near Park Avenue and Suburban Avenue just before midnight Thursday.
Police identified the motorcycle rider as Harry Mergoni, 28, of Bridgeport. He was taken to St. Vincent’s Medical Center after the crash and died early Friday morning.
A second deadly wreck followed 25 minutes later on Fairfield Avenue near Railroad Avenue, where a car struck a wall. Police said that driver, 62-year-old Garth Lawrence, was also taken to St. Vincent’s and later died.
Motorcycle rider thrown from bike after left turn on Park Avenue
Police said the first crash happened at 11:57 p.m. Thursday on Park Avenue near Suburban Avenue. Their preliminary findings show Mergoni was traveling southbound on Park Avenue when an SUV attempted to turn left onto the roadway from Suburban Avenue.
The SUV and motorcycle collided near the intersection, and the force of the impact threw Mergoni from his bike. Police said the SUV driver stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators.
Neighbors said the aftermath was immediate and alarming. Ayman Halabi, who lives in the 2500 block of Park Avenue, said he looked outside and saw ambulances, fire crews and people shouting in the street.
Park Avenue neighbors describe a road they say sees repeated crashes
By Friday morning, signs of the collision were still visible near Halabi’s home. He said the scene felt familiar and described the stretch of road as one where crashes seem to happen again and again.
Halabi said drivers often speed through the area and pointed to the way Park Avenue narrows from two lanes to one. In his view, that change in the roadway makes the corridor more dangerous for people driving through it and for anyone traveling on foot or by bike.
The comments reflect broader frustration from residents who live near the roadway, where the overnight crash left fresh damage and renewed attention on traffic behavior in the neighborhood.
Second deadly wreck reported 25 minutes later on Fairfield Avenue
Police said emergency crews were then sent at about 12:22 a.m. Friday to Fairfield Avenue near Railroad Avenue after multiple callers reported that a vehicle had gone out of control and hit a wall. Investigators later determined that Lawrence was driving eastbound when his car veered left, jumped the sidewalk and struck the area between a light pole and a concrete retaining wall.
The impact trapped Lawrence inside the vehicle, and firefighters had to remove him. Police said he was transported to St. Vincent’s Medical Center, where he later died.
Authorities have not said what caused the car to leave the roadway. The crash added to a tragic overnight stretch for the city, with both fatal incidents unfolding within the span of half an hour.
Police and firefighters worked two fatal scenes in the overnight hours
The two crashes required separate emergency responses in different parts of Bridgeport. The first involved a motorcycle rider taken by ambulance after a collision at a busy intersection, while the second brought firefighters to a scene where a driver had to be extricated from a wrecked car.
In both cases, St. Vincent’s Medical Center became the destination for the victims, and both men were later pronounced dead. Police have not released additional details about whether weather, speed, impairment or any other factor may have played a role.
Investigators continued working the scenes Friday and asked anyone with information about either crash to contact police. The cases remain active as detectives piece together what happened in the minutes before each fatal impact.
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