FedEx driver charged after deadly head-on crash in North Canaan last December

A Massachusetts man driving a FedEx van was charged in connection with a 2021 head-on crash in North Canaan that led to the death of a 57-year-old man, state police said.

Jarad Seery, 22, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, was arrested on a warrant on Wednesday and charged with reckless driving, failure to drive on the right and misconduct with a motor vehicle, according to Connecticut State Police Troop B.

The charges stem from a morning crash that took place on Dec. 29, 2021 on Route 44 in North Canaan, state police said.

State police said that Seery was driving a FedEx Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van west on Route 44 approaching a right-hand curve near Canaan Valley Road. Seery “failed to negotiate the right curve,” state police said, and drove into the eastbound lane, colliding head-on with a Volkswagen Jetta driven by 57-year-old Carl Blair.

According to his arrest warrant, Seery told state police he “dozed off” while he was driving and when he opened his eyes, “there was a car right there.”

A witness told state police they observed the FedEx van driven by Seery exiting its lane of travel and entering the eastbound lane before colliding head-on with the Jetta, according to the arrest warrant.

Blair was taken to Waterbury Hospital with serious injuries sustained in the crash. He died more than a month later from his injuries, state police said.

According to an obituary for Blair, the 57-year-old lived in Danvers, Massachusetts. He was a graduate of the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford who loved hiking, kayaking and serving others.

Seery was released from custody on a $35,000 surety bond and was scheduled to appear in court in Torrington on Dec. 14, state police said.