A fiery chain-reaction crash that killed four people Friday started when a dump truck slammed into a commuter bus, sparking a fire that engulfed several vehicles, officials said.
Several people were trapped in their cars, but police were able to free them before the flames spread. The crash scene was a mass of mangled metal, burned-out cars, strewn debris and dirt.
''It's pretty horrific,'' Avon Police Capt. Mark Rinaldo said.
A surgeon on his way to work was one of the first to offer assistance. Dr. Scott Kurtzman and others helped pull dazed passengers from burning cars and performed CPR.
''They would have died in their cars if we didn't get them out,'' Kurtzman said. ''Everybody did the best they could. We're just sorry we couldn't help everybody.''
State inspectors last year found five brake violations on the long-bed dump truck, which is owned by American Crushing and Recycling LLC of Bloomfield, formerly known as Wilcox Trucking Inc.
Calls were left seeking comment at the company office. A woman who answered the company's after-hours phone number twice hung up without commenting.
The Mack truck, which was temporarily taken out of service last year after the violations were found, was also cited in December 2002 for three violations involving axle problems. One required the truck to be taken off the road, according to state Department of Motor Vehicle records.
DMV records show that Wilcox had numerous violations between 1994 and 2001, including 448 mechanical violations.
Fifteen people were taken to the hospital. Most were treated and released, but four remained in critical condition. Authorities had not released the victims' names Friday.
The accident shut down Route 44 during the morning commute, and it was expected to remain closed for at least 12 hours. Avon is about 10 miles northwest of Hartford and on a major commuter route.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell said the state may consider reducing speed limits and more strictly enforcing speeding and tailgating laws. ''I think it should give us all a moment of pause,'' she said.
The bus was a state-owned transit bus leased to Kelley Transit in Torrington, said company manager Joe Coe. The driver was taken by helicopter to Hartford Hospital and the passengers were not seriously injured, he said.
