Driver killed after speeding Lexus crashes into pole in Greenwich: Police

GREENWICH — One person was killed in a crash that closed a portion of Ritch Avenue West on Sunday, police said. Greenwich police officer Sabrina Diaz said a Greenwich officer conducting radar enforcement on Delavan Avenue at 2:09 a.m. observed a Lexus LS400 traveling eastbound at an estimated speed of 50 mph in a posted 25-mph zone. She said the officer subsequently observed the vehicle proceed through a red traffic signal at the intersection of Delavan Avenue and Frontage Road. Diaz said the officer turned to travel in the same direction as the vehicle to conduct a motor vehicle stop. A short time later, the officer found the vehicle had crashed on Ritch Avenue West adjacent to the Byram Shore tennis courts, Diaz said. The vehicle sustained significant damage after striking a roadside utility pole, she said, noting officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene. Diaz said the driver was extricated from the vehicle and was pronounced dead as a result of injuries suffered in the crash. She said a front-seat passenger was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. As of about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, Ritch Avenue West was still closed between Byram Shore Road and the Interstate 95 north Exit 2 ramp due to utility repairs, Diaz said. "Motorists are urged to avoid the area and seek alternate routes," she said. Diaz said the identity of the driver is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.