Police Identify Driver Killed in Coventry Crash

Police have identified a driver who died in a fatal crash on a notorious stretch of Route 6 in Coventry late Friday afternoon.

Coventry police received multiple calls reporting a serious crash on Route 6 near South Street at about 4:19 p.m. on Friday. An eastbound car Brandon Loura, 31, of Glastonbury, was driving struck an oncoming light dump truck between that area and the Steels Crossing intersection.

Loura was airlifted to Hartford Hospital via LifeStar but was later pronounced dead.

The truck driver, Allen Gaudet Jr., 59, of Broad Brook, was taken to an area hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are not releasing the names of the people involved in the crash at this time pending the notification of their families.

Neighbors say crashes on this windy stretch of Route 6 are almost routine and that has garnered the road a grim nickname.

“They do call it Suicide 6 and just this little stretch in front of where I live going into Coventry it’s a nightmare with motorcycles racing, crotch rockets passing cars, cars passing cars," Steve Rozell, of Bolton, said.

The road was closed for at least four hours near the South Street intersection. During the afternoon rush, traffic was at a standstill from the area near the Coventry/Bolton line to Interstate 384.

The collision brought traffic to a stop and jolted neighbors who were inside their homes.

"I heard a good sized thump outside,” Rozell said.

Rozell walked out of his home on Route 6 to see what had happened.

The state Department of Transportation has worked to improve the road.

The town of Coventry says that has meant a drastic reduction in serious crashes in the past decade.

Town leaders and neighbors say while the road itself might be safer… drivers still need to do their part.

"Be patient, be patient. The older I get not necessarily the slower I drive but the more cautious I am,” Rozell said.

Metro Traffic Services is helping Coventry police in the investigation. Police advise drivers to seek alternate routes and avoid the area.

Police ask anyone with information about the fatal crash to contact the Coventry Police Department at 860-742-7331 or Officer LaPorte of the Metro Traffic Services Crash Reconstruction Team, overseen by the South Windsor Police Department, at 860-644-2551.

Contact Us