Survivors recall near-fatal accident

On Jan. 17, the first day of classes, a three-car accident at the intersection of North Eagleville Road and 195 made headlines when a man had to be rescued from a flaming car. Freshman ROTC student Robert Kitch became somewhat of a local hero for his attempts to rescue the driver.

Political Science Professor Stefan Dolgert was leaving campus after his first day working at UConn when he was rear-ended and pushed into the vehicle in front of him at the light.

"I heard this really really loud revving, then all of a sudden, I was hit from behind," and became wedged in between two cars, he recalled. Upon exiting his vehicle, he and the driver in front of him, Renee Greenfield of the Educational Psychology Department, realized that the third car was engulfed in smoke.

"The smoke inside the cab of the other car was so thick we couldn't see inside," Dolgert said. There were sparks, but no visible flames. At that point, he went to the passenger side and tried to open the doors and windows, but they were locked.

This is when Kitch joined the scene, attempting to break into the window first with his elbow, then by kicking. "It was not budging," he later told The Daily Campus. Dolgert said those at the scene tried a number of objects including a flashlight to bust open the windows, until a man produced the hammer that was used to successfully break the man out.

The operator of the third vehicle, Jeffrey Ogden, was unconscious when pulled from the vehicle, but started to regain consciousness as first responders gave him treatment. "He was coughing a lot, like, pure black smoke coming out of his mouth," Kitch said.

Dolgert, who had moved to the hill between CLAS and 195 after the car burst into flames, said that it took Kitch, the man with the hammer and a police officer to drag Odgen's body out of the car.

According to a police report, Ogden "stated that he did not recall what happened and that when he regained consciousness he was in an ambulance." After losing consciousness, Ogden's Honda Civic accelerated into the rear of Dolgert's car, also a Civic, which then collided with Greenfield's Toyota Highlander SUV.

Ogden and Dolgert were taken to Windham Hospital for treatment. Dolgert was given x-rays and released, and describes no lasting symptoms, though he said the event did cause psychological stress for a few days.

"There was a moment there where I thought we weren't going to be able to save him," he said. Kitch also said that Ogden "looked pretty close to not making it" when he was pulled from the car.

Kitch and Dolgert both expressed their gratefulness to the first responders that arrived, especially the policeman who helped rescue Ogden from the car.

"The police officer had a crucial role in saving him," said Dolgert.

President Susan Herbst thanked Kitch and the others in a statement two days later, when it was known that all three drivers were going to make full recoveries. "I'm so proud of them and thankful that they were in the right place at the right time," said Herbst.