Two Western Connecticut State lacrosse players dead after crash in Colchester
Two Western Connecticut State University men’s lacrosse players are dead and a third hospitalized after a car crash Friday afternoon in Colchester, authorities say.
According to state police, the crash occurred when a car driven by one of the players veered off the road on Route 354, hitting a metal guardrail and several trees and rolling down an embankment. One passenger, 18-year-old Tyler Graham of Colchester, was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver, 18-year-old Jacob Chapman of Norwich, was pronounced dead at Marlborough Medical Center.
Another passenger, 19-year-old Trey Massaro of Dalton, Massachusetts, was transported to Hartford Hospital with “serious injuries.”
In a message to the Western Connecticut State community Friday afternoon, university president John Clark said the school’s counseling center had met with members of the lacrosse team and would offer counseling to students in the dormitory where the lacrosse players lived.
“I will provide more information to the WCSU community as it becomes available,” Clark said. “The University will also do all it can to support their families in this very difficult time.”
Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.
