Police: Man probably died before crash
Toolbox
Published: April 15, 2009
A Bristol man involved in a single-vehicle accident in New Haven on Tuesday morning is believed to have died of natural causes prior to colliding with a utility pole, according to State Police.
Ralph C. White, 68, was driving on Town Hill Road, just off of Route 7, when witnesses saw his vehicle drift off the roadway for no apparent reason before colliding with the pole and coming to a rest in a field. White was found unconscious and without a pulse and CPR was performed. Bristol Rescue Squad responded and transported White to Porter Medical Center.
Due to the minor front-end damage the vehicle sustained and witness statements, responders felt White had likely died prior to the accident, a belief shared by doctors at the hospital, according to State Police. An official cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy.
According to White's family, he had been seeing a cardiologist for a bad heart valve. At the time of the accident, White had been getting gravel to fix potholes on his property despite his doctor's warning against stressful work, according to his wife.
— Staff reports
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