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Man Arrested After State Police Find Pot in Car Trunk

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State police arrested a driver after finding about a pound and a half of "high quality" marijuana in his car during a traffic stop off Interstate 84 west in Tolland, state police said.

Jameson Douglas Irvine, 27, of Southbury, is facing multiple charges including possession of marijuana.

While conducting motor vehicle enforcement on I-84 westbound on Aug. 6 at about 7:30 p.m., police pulled over a blue Ford Fusion driving in the right shoulder while exiting the highway onto Route 195 in Tolland.

State police smelled pot in the car when speaking with him and investigated, state police said.

A state police K-9 team and troopers found the marijuana in the trunk of the car and seized it.

State police charged Irvine with possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of over four ounces of marijuana and driving in an improper lane.

State police issued him a $250,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Friday.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Hall of Fame Tennis Legend Ivan Lendl Holds Adaptive Sports Camp

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For 25-years, hall of fame tennis legend Ivan Lendl has been inviting Connecticut children to spend a week focused on making friends and learning sports, and forgetting about their disabilities.

“I just love seeing them every year,” said Lendl before the camp’s tennis showcase at the University of St. Francis, on Friday.

Lendl, who posed for pictures and gave tennis tips, said his favorite part of the day is seeing the smiles on their faces.

With Lendl’s help, Jonathan Slifka’s mother started the Hospital for Special Care Ivan Lendl Adaptive Sports Camp in 1991. She wanted a place her son could go to meet with others like him and play sports, just like the camps his able-bodied brother attended each summer.

“It gives us an opportunity to be around people that we are truly equals with and we don’t feel any different when we’re around,” said Slifka.

“I probably wouldn’t be doing much in the summer, if it wasn’t for camps like this,” said Andrew Haraghey, a 19-year-old from Enfield who has attended the camps for nine years, and spent the last two as a camp counselor.

During the week-long camp children play basketball, race around the track, and play tennis. The week is capped off with a dance.

Many said the highlight is meeting Lendl.

“I think it’s awesome how much he gave and how much he gives to make this camp a success,” said Haraghey.

Haraghey, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy said it’s the people who draw him back.

“Just the feeling you get at being successful at the sports, and the friends you make, and how it’s all kind of like a family with all the people you get to know,” he explained.

He’s not the only one who comes back year after year. Besides getting tennis tips from a pro, many say they make friends for life at camp.

“I’m the only one in my school who’s in a wheelchair. It’s nice to come and see everybody and build new relationships,” said Stephanie Marquez, of Middletown.

“I love the camp. It’s so much fun to hang out with my friends and do sports,” added Kari Craddock, of Trumbull.

All participants attend the camp for free. For more information: http://hfsc.org/community/hsc-adaptive-sports-program/hospital-special-care-ivan-lendl-adaptive-sports-camp.
 

Driver Killed in Route 2 East Crash in East Hartford

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A driver was killed in a one-car crash on Route 2 eastbound late Friday night.

Brandon Gothberg, 20 of East Hartford, died in the crash near exit 5 at 10 p.m. Friday night.

The state highway was closed for several hours between exits 5A and 5B.

No further information was immediately available.

Interstate 84 east was also cloased in East Hartford at Route 2 east Friday night due to a separate motorcycle crash that claimed another life.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

NATO Service Member Killed in Kabul Attack

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One NATO service member was killed during an attack on a base housing America Special Operations Forces outside Kabul, the coalition said on Friday, NBC News reported.

NATO spokesman Col. Brian Tribus says the attack on Camp Integrity, near the Kabul airport, included a suicide car or truck bomb followed by an assault by armed insurgents.

Two insurgent attackers and eight Afghan security guards were also killed, a security manager told NBC News.



Photo Credit: AP

Accident Closes I 91 Southbound in Wethersfield

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 I-91 southbound in Wethersfield was closed for nearly four hours after an early morning crash.

According to state police, the crash happened around 3:30 a.m. just past exit 26. A tractor trailer and a car were involved.

The driver of the car was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Traffic was detoured off the highway around the accident, causing some backups in the area.

State police wer able to open one lane around 7:30 a.m.

Motorcyclist Killed in I-84 Crash in East Hartford

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A motorcyclist was killed Friday night in one of two separate fatal crashes in East Hartford.

Interstate 84 east was closed in East Hartford at Route 2 east for several hours due to the crash that ended up claiming the life of Kamron Redding-Hall, 26,of Hartford.

He was killed after crashing a motorcycle on I-84 East near exit 55 late Friday.

No further information was immediately available.

There was another fatal crash in East Hartford on Route 2 that night, but the crash was unrelated.



Photo Credit: DOT

Lyman Orchard Opens T-Rex Shaped Sunflower Maze

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A Middlefield, Connecticut orchard is giving kids and their families the chance to go inside a dinosaur head. Lyman Orchards has cut the image of a T-Rex into their crop. From now until August 23rd, you can try to make your way out of their sunflower maze and learn some facts about dinosaurs during your journey.

“We usually get ideas from the kids at the medical center, so one of the ideas was dinosaurs, and it just happened that this year they released Jurassic Park so everyone would be thinking dinosaurs anyway,” said Lyman Orchards Executive Vice President John Lyman.

The Leon family of Miami Florida, decided to take a turn while visiting family in Woodbury, on Friday.

“I was researching places to go in Miami and we found this place and it looked really interesting,” said Vanessa Leon.

Throughout the maze there are ten posts. At each post there’s a question to help steer you in the right direction. You can pick your subject based on your age and interests.

“If you answer right it tells you to go the right way and if you answer wrong you get more lost,” Lyman explained.

Lyman said the maze is made of 350,000 sunflowers and usually takes about half an hour to complete.

“The thought of going through sunflowers is like a happy thing and it’s so nice outside, so I couldn’t think of anything better to do today,” said Tamy Do, of West Haven.

You’ll see plenty of bees buzzing around the flowers, but Lyman said your chances of getting stung are slim to none.

“By having the sterile sunflowers we don’t get the pollen, the bees won’t sting people,” he explained.

A dollar from each ticket goes to the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The orchard has raised close to $60,000 for the charity in the past nine years they’ve created the sunflower maze.

For more information: http://lymanorchards.com/events/sunflower-maze/

Families Displaced, Businesses Relocate After Franklin Ave. Fire

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More than 24 hours after a building was demolished following a massive fire, you can still smell the smoke left from 310 Franklin Avenue in Hartford. It used to be home to two businesses and four apartments.

"It’s just crazy to see like its all knocked down," said Lieza Hellandbrand, who walks by the building often.

 

A fire erupted around 12:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon inside the three-story building. One person escaped the fire and was rushed to Hartford Hospital for smoke inhalation.

Eight adults were displaced.

"Health and human services along with special services along with the red cross is taking care of the relocation of the 8 adults who lost their home," Said Hartford fire Chief, Helene Lynch.

Now, all that stands is the front door of the building.

The people who lived in the apartments have been placed in hotels.

"They lost so many valuable things here," said Joao Rodriguez who walks by the building nearly every day. "Not just money-wise, but sentimental-wise. It’s memories -- just everything is gone… and that’s sad to think about the families going through this."

As for the two businesses downstairs, Lynch said the grocery store and a tailor shop must plan for a different future.

"They have obviously are no longer in business and they have they will be moving to other parts of the city," said Chief Lynch.

Firefighters were unable to do an interior investigation because of how dangerous the building was after the fire, therefore the cause came back as undetermined.

"I walk this street all the time,drive by it all the time… and now I won't see this corner anymore," said Rodriguez.

NBC Connecticut has reached out to the families as well as the businesses. They have not returned our calls by news time.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
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Report: Firefighter Killed in Blaze Got Caught on Furniture

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The Hartford Board of Inquiry investigating the October fire that killed one a Hartford firefighter and injured four others released its final report, which determined that Firefighter Kevin Bell became entangled in furniture and was not able to escape the building.

Forty-eight-year-old Kevin Lamont Bell was on the front lines when fire broke out at 598 Blue Hills Avenue in October 2014, and he was among the first to enter the burning building.

The fire pushed hot gas into the attic, which collected, became pressurized in the attic and had no place to escape, officials said.

While evacuating the building, Bell became entangled in furniture inside the building and was not able to get out of the building, officials said.

According to the Hartford Firefighters Association, Bell was critically injured in the blaze and pulled from the burning building in cardiac arrest. He was rushed to Saint Francis Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Officials said this was the worst possible scenario at the worst possible time.

There was also a May Day call made that night that was not received or acknowledged. The lieutenant was able to remove himself from the situation, but did not report that a May Day call was made.  

One policy being implemented is that should anyone hear a call for help that is not acknowledged, that information is shared.

Bell was the first Hartford firefighter to die while fighting a fire in 40 years, according to state records.

Firefighters Jason Martinez, of Tactical Unit 1, and Colin McWeeny, of Engine 14, and Kevin Burke of Engine 5.

On Friday, the Hartford Fire Department added Lieutenant John Moree, of Engine 16, to the list of the people injured in the blaze.

"This tragedy has caused us to look intensely at everything we do and how we do it," Fire Chief Carlos Huertas said during the news conference to release the report. "It has shaken us at our very core and has instilled within us a new focus to continue to make improvements in our department."

In late January, a federal investigation found Bell died after running low on air. It said a low-air alarm on Bell’s breathing tank failed a test after the fire, but Hartford officials said the alarm activated.

Then, In April, the state labor department handed the city of Hartford citations for five serious violations in connection with the fire and Bell’s death.

Those violations included a lack of medical evaluations of firefighters on the line, failure to ensure firefighters wore helmets properly with chin straps, failure to "fit test" members for their breathing apparatus, failure to properly test air bottles that enable firefighters to breathe at a fire scene and failure to require all firefighters to wear protective fire-resistant hoods.

Later that month, officials from the fire department said they had reached a settlement with the state’s OSHA division on the violations.

One of safety changes to come in the wake of Bell’s death was the promise that all Hartford firefighters would receive heat-resistant, flame-retardant fire hoods to cover their faces and necks. Those have since been issued, officials said.

The final Board of Inquiry report will be released at 2 p.m. at the Hartford Public Safety Complex at 253 High Street in the Emergency Operations Center.



Photo Credit: Hartford Fire Department

1 Killed in Crash on Notorious Stretch of Rt. 6

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A driver died and another was injured in a fatal crash on a notorious stretch of Route 6 in Coventry that happened late Friday afternoon.

Coventry police received multiple calls reporting a serious crash on Route 6 near South Street at about 4:19 p.m. on Friday. An eastbound car struck an oncoming light dump truck between that area and the Steels Crossing intersection.

The driver of the passenger vehicle was airlifted to Hartford Hospital via LifeStar but was later pronounced dead.

The truck driver was taken to an area hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are not releasing the names of the people involved in the crash at this time pending the notification of their families.

Neighbors say crashes on this windy stretch of Route 6 are almost routine and that has garnered the road a grim nickname.

“They do call it Suicide 6 and just this little stretch in front of where I live going into Coventry it’s a nightmare with motorcycles racing, crotch rockets passing cars, cars passing cars," Steve Rozell, of Bolton, said.

The road was closed for at least four hours near the South Street intersection. During the afternoon rush, traffic was at a standstill from the area near the Coventry/Bolton line to Interstate 384.

The collision brought traffic to a stop and jolted neighbors who were inside their homes.

"I heard a good sized thump outside,” Rozell said.

Rozell walked out of his home on Route 6 to see what had happened.

The state Department of Transportation has worked to improve the road.

The town of Coventry says that has meant a drastic reduction in serious crashes in the past decade.

Town leaders and neighbors say while the road itself might be safer… drivers still need to do their part.

"Be patient, be patient. The older I get not necessarily the slower I drive but the more cautious I am,” Rozell said.

Metro Traffic Services is helping Coventry police in the investigation. Police advise drivers to seek alternate routes and avoid the area.

Police ask anyone with information about the fatal crash to contact the Coventry Police Department at 860-742-7331 or Officer LaPorte of the South Windsor Police Department at 860-644-2551, as the Metro Traffic Services Crash Reconstruction Team is assisting with the investigation. South Windsor police oversee and coordinate the regional reconstruction team.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Deadly 24 Hours on Local Highways

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Three people are dead after separate crashes took their lives in the past 24 hours.

Overnight, two young people were killed in two separate crashes in East Hartford.

Kamron Redding-Hall, 26 of Hartford, was killed after crashing a motorcycle on I-84 East near exit 55 late last night.

Brandon Gothberg, 20 of East Hartford, died in a car crash on Route 2 East near exit 5 at 10 p.m. Friday night.

A yet-to-be identified victim was killed on Route 6 in Coventry yesterday afternoon after colliding with a dump truck.

This morning, three serious crashed shut down I91 South in Wethersfield, both sides of I-84 in West Hartford and Route 8 in Thomaston.



Photo Credit: OnSceneFirePhoto.com

Blind Israeli Golfer Becomes a Champion

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Blind Israeli golfer Zohar Sharon is an international champion after having won his first title in the 2003 World Invitational blind golf tournament in Scotland and four more contests since, NBC News reported.
Sharon began losing his sight at 25 after a chemical accident while he was serving in Israel's military.
His wife's divorce lawyer later helped inspire him to play golf and he now plays 10 hours a day.
"You learn when you fall and have to get up — this is what golf teaches me," he said. 


Photo Credit: AP
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Typhoon Soudelor Weakens Over China; Leaves 20 Dead, Missing

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A typhoon that lashed Taiwan Saturday dumped heavy rain and winds on the Chinese mainland on Sunday, leaving 20 people dead or missing, collapsing homes and trees and cutting power to more than a million homes.

Typhoon Soudelor was downgraded into a tropical storm as it made landfall in China's Fujian province late Saturday night.

Rains from the typhoon triggered mudslides in mountainous Pingyang county in Zhejiang province, north of Fujian, killing eight people and leaving two others missing. One was seriously injured, the county government said.



Photo Credit: AP

Long Line Before Scheduled DMV Closure

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Hundreds lined up outside Connecticut’s DMV offices ahead of a scheduled closure to upgrade the computer system.

Jacqueline Hernandez, who was first in line at the Wethersfield office, stood outside at 5:30 a.m on Saturday.

“You have to come here, sacrifice your sleep, and be here,” she said.

By 6 a.m. dozens of people were lined up behind her.

“It’s my first time here, I wasn’t really sure what to expect but I’ve heard the lines are long,” said Jeff Bowers, who recently moved to Barkhamsted from California.

“Never like this though. It’s pretty bad today, actually,” said Craig Lemay, of Middletown.

Although lines at DMV offices are common, many said they were worse than usual on Saturday.

The state’s DMV offices close at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday as part of a $25 million project to modernize its 50-year-old computer system. During the closure, which lasts until Aug. 18, the DMV’s registration database will be updated.

The modernization project, which started in 2009, involves 14 million vehicle and customer records and the rewriting of over 40-million lines of computer code. During this phase, the DMV plans to put more services online, something those waiting in line Saturday said is badly needed.

“Last month I came at eight and I waited an hour and a half outside the building and two hours inside the building. Anything that helps move it along faster would be great,” said Cynthia Hutt, of Glastonbury.

“I was here a month before that and this is supposed to be the fastest DMV in the state and it took me two hours to do one little thing,” added Daniel Gorman of Wallingford.

If your driver’s license or car registration expires during the closure, officials said you’ll be able to renew it until Oct. 10 without paying a late fee. Additionally, licensing services will continue to be available at all DMV offices and select AAA offices during the closure.

For more information about the DMV’s Computer Upgrade: http://www.ct.gov/dmv/cwp/view.asp?a=4755&q=568534
 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

6 Stabbed in SoCal

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Three women in a convalescent home and three other victims at an apartment complex, including the suspect's wife, were injured in a violent stabbing rampage Friday in Long Beach, police said. 

The suspect, identified by police as Derrick Lee Hunt , 28, of Long Beach, was shot and killed by police after the attack. Earlier, family identified him as Derrick Leake.

When officers arrived at the 3200 block of East Artesia Boulevard, near Obispo Avenue shortly after 8 p.m., people were frantically waving police and pointing in the direction where the suspect was located, according to Long Beach Police.

A preliminary police investigation showed the stabbings began at an apartment complex, where witnesses said Hunt continously tried to stab his 29-year-old wife.

"We just heard, 'help me please!' So I rushed out," said Tomika Phillips, a witness at the scene.   "That's when we both saw her bloody from head to toe."

Hunt later turned his agression on others, stabbing his wife's brother and another neighbor who came out to help, witnesses said.

According to police, Hunt crossed the street and entered a convalescent home where he allegedly stabbed three nurses, all women.

Police encountered the suspect shortly after and opened fire, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Family members of the suspected attacker arrived at the scene after learning he'd been killed.

Hunt's sister, Shawntris Leake, said he had been released from jail less than two weeks ago for a non-violent crime and said they had spent time together earlier in the day. 

"It was completely out of character for my brother to physically attack," Leake said. "My brother avoided physical verbal confrontation as much as possible."

Five of the six people wounded in the attack were taken to trauma hospitals with minor to critical injuries. One person was treated at the scene with superficial injuries.

No details were released on what led officers to shoot the man.

Homicide detectives were called to the scene to investigate.



Photo Credit: KNBCTV

Mom Charged in Baby's Death

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The mother of a newborn boy found dead with severe head trauma in an apartment building courtyard in Queens was charged Saturday with murdering the infant by tossing him from a fourth-floor window.

Rashida Chowdhury, 21, was charged with second-degree murder and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

"This is is a truly horrific and disturbing case of a mother accused of killing her helpless 3-week-old infant son by tossing him out of a window, where he fell more than 40 feet to the pavement and died," Brown said.

The body of 1-month-old Rizwan Ahmad was discovered outside the building on 115th Street in Richmond Hill Friday morning. Police had been investigating whether the baby had fallen, was thrown out of a window or was left on the ground.

The medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide and noted that the infant had sustained skull fractures and lacerations of brain, liver and spleen.

Neighbor Mazol Ilyayeva had found the baby and called 911.

"I step out and hear [a sound] like a book was thrown out the window," she told NBC 4 New York. "For some reason, something told me inside to go downstairs, and then I see that."

Police took several family members in for questioning. Other children are living in the home where the baby lived, authorities said, but they're not believed to be siblings. It's thought to be an extended-living situation, city officials told NBC 4 New York.

Neighbors said the family living in the apartment is quiet and rarely talked to others.

"It was very, very hard for us this morning. Terrible. It's hard to believe, a baby that little," said one woman who only gave her name as Eve.

There was no information as to whether Chowdhury had a lawyer who could comment on the charge.
 

Meriden Animal Control Helps Strays Find Forever Homes

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For a city of about 60,000 people, Meriden has three full-time animal control officers.

Officers Bryan Kline, Sarah Bacon and 27-year veteran Max Fresquez report to work right next door to the Meriden Humane Society, although the two shelters are separate entities. Municipal shelters like Meriden take in strays and owners surrenders within city limits.

“Legally we take in the strays, we hold them for seven days, if no one comes to claim them then they’re up for adoption as long as they’re friendly,” Bacon explains.

Although Meriden’s municipal shelter receives city funding, it’s not enough to cover the gap with expenses with intensive medical care that’s often required in serious rescue cases. To meet that need, the “M.A.C. Pack” engages with partners in the area including veterinary hospitals.

Since taking over the department six years ago, Officer Kline has virtually eliminated the need for euthanasia for overcrowding, crediting a robust social media campaign to encourage adoptions along with assistance from area rescue groups.

Kline is also spearheading the effort to obtain 501(c)3 status to facilitate more fundraising to support the department’s multifaceted mission. Gone are the days of the stereotypical “dog catcher” – the mission of animal control officers, Kline said, has evolved to include community engagement and education as well as animal rescue and rehabilitation.

“It’s more changing to animal care and control,” Officer Bacon agreed. “We’re caring for the animals more, more medical care, more behavioral assessments, more adoptions.”

All pets available for adoption from Meriden Animal Control are neutered or spayed and receive full behavioral evaluations and necessary veterinary care including vaccinations.

But the job of an animal control officer encompasses far more than tending to the shelter and overseeing adoptions. Officers answer a variety of calls in the field all day long. They range from roaming dogs to nuisance complaints to wildlife rescue to extreme cases of cruelty and neglect.

“It’s not an easy job to do; there’s a lot of tough days,” Kline says. “But along with the tough days come a lot of rewarding days as well .”

One of those days was the day Rocky found his forever home.

Officers rescued the pitbull mix in March after finding him emaciated, locked inside a cage in an abandoned house. After five months of intensive care, he was adopted by a Middletown couple. Now Rocky serves as an emotional support animal for his new owner, Ray.

“I think that’s really neat that they found each other right when they needed each other,” says Ray’s girlfriend Caitlin. “Seeing them play together is very emotional.”
That’s the potential behind every face in Meriden’s kennels – a second chance.

“We have a lot of loose dogs, abandoned dogs,” says Bacon, “things that people just throw away like a piece of trash. And we have to take them in, we have to evaluate them, we have to pretty much give them a whole new life.”



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Woman Injured After Car Hits Her

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A woman was hospitalized after a car struck her during a street art show in Groton on Saturday morning.

Groton police, Mystic firefighters and the Mystic River Ambulance Corps responded to West Main Street in Groton at 7 a.m. after receiving a report that a car hit a pedestrian.

Police found an injured woman who had been struck by a car. She was a staff member running an art show and was in the roadway when she was setting up for the event.

An ambulance took her to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London.

The driver of the car stopped and remained on scene.

Police are still investigating the crash.

West Main Street was briefly closed and has since reopened.

MTA Identifies Woman Struck, Killed by Train

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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has identified the woman struck and killed by a train in Cos Cob on Friday morning.

Tamar Louis, of Stamford, dropped her wallet or purse on the tracks and was trying to pick it up when she was hit by the train, according to MTA officials.

The commuter railroad said the incident at the Cos Cob station in Greenwich happened around 9:30 a.m. on Friday and delayed service by about 30 to 40 minutes.

Passengers who were headed from Grand Central Terminal in New York to New Haven were transferred to another train.

The accident remains under investigation.




Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

LifeStar Canceled for Motorcycle Crash

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LifeStar was called to a motorcycle crash in East Hampton and then canceled Saturday afternoon.

There is no further information on the crash.

Any injuries that would have prompted the LifeStar call are unknown and it's unclear why the emergency helicopter service was canceled.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
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