BETHEL, Vt. (WCAX) – A Vermont State trooper remains in critical condition following a crash last week.
Police say Cpl. Eric Vitali rear-ended a parked fire engine on Interstate 89 in Bethel while traveling to a training in Waterbury. Vitali was airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center with critical injuries. While his current condition has not been released, a fundraising effort by the Vermont Troopers’ Association says his injuries include a traumatic brain injury and fractures to his spine and pelvis.
There’s still no word on the cause of the crash. It all happened around 7:40 a.m. Friday morning when local emergency crews responded to a box truck that had flipped over into the median while heading north on I-89. Authorities on the scene initially said Vitali was responding to that crash but later clarified he was headed to a first-aid training at VSP Headquarters in Waterbury.
The 41-year-old is a 19-year veteran of the Vermont State Police. The Troopers’ Association says he also served in the United Sates Air Force.
Related Stories:
Vermont State Police identify trooper hospitalized after I-89 crash
Trooper hospitalized following I-89 crash