Dante McClashie dies in fatal Orange car crash.
Fatal Orange car crash death of Dante McClashie.
The Orange Police Department has identified the individual who lost their life in a serious collision along Route 34 in Orange on Sunday morning. According to the department, the deceased was a 28-year-old man from Waterbury named Dante McClashie, and this confirmation came through an update on their official Facebook page on Monday.
Police were initially alerted to the incident shortly before 1:30 a.m. Sunday after receiving a report about an automobile proceeding in the incorrect direction on the divided highway near the Merritt Parkway interchange. The vehicle, described as a dark Honda Civic, was reported to be traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes. Dispatchers relayed that this car had collided head-on with a BMW SUV close to the Baldwin Road junction.
Emergency services, including teams from the Orange Volunteer Fire Department, arrived at the scene and carried out rescue operations to free the sole occupant of the Honda, Dante McClashie, before transporting him to Yale New Haven Hospital. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries at the medical facility.
The second motor vehicle involved, a 2024 BMW X1, was occupied by four individuals, all of whom were transported to the hospital as a precaution. Preliminary reports indicate that these occupants suffered non-life-threatening injuries, with three recovering after treatment and one remaining in a stable condition.
To ensure the accident site could be properly examined, authorities closed the affected section of the road for roughly three hours, reopening it by approximately 5 a.m.
Investigators with the Orange Police are still examining the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash.
