NAUGATUCK — A 22-year-old Middlebury man walked away uninjured after the car he was driving crossed over the center line on Meadow Street Friday, struck a wrought iron fence and crashed into a house.
Ryan Ferrari, of 650 Whittemore Road, told police he was looking down at his cellphone when he lost control of the white Audi he was driving near the St. Francis Church field on Meadow Street at 4:54 p.m., according to a police report.
The car went over a curb, struck the fence at St. Francis field, hit a couple of road signs and struck a house at 235 Meadow St. before coming to a stop, police said.
When emergency responders arrived, Ferrari was already out of the vehicle. Nobody was injured. Police said there was heavy damage to the house, the street signs and the Audi.
Ferrari was cited with the following motor vehicle infractions: operating a motor vehicle while using an electronic device, failure to operate a motor vehicle with proper insurance and failure to drive on the right.
While distracted driving is a motor vehicle charge, not a criminal offense, officials say it is one of the most dangerous and common offenses in society.
Every day in the United States, more than nine people are killed and more than 1,153 people are injured in crashes that are reported to have a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2012, the most recent year for which statistics were available, 3,328 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,360 in 2011. An additional, 421,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver in 2012, a 9 percent increase from the 387,000 people injured in 2011, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
