A Bridgeport man was killed in an all-terrain vehicle crash in Monroe that threw he and young girls onto the roadway Saturday night.
John Compton, 29, was driving an ATV in the dark with two girls, 2 and 6, when he hit a curb, causing the vehicle to flip and flinging all occupants onto the pavement on the 200 block of Turkey Roost Road.
Police responded at 6:01 p.m.on Saturday and found Compton lying unresponsive on the roadway. Officers tried to revive him with CPR while they waited for medical personnel to get to the scene.
The two girls were found injured and officers reunited them with their parents, police said. Compton was a friend of the family, police said.
Compton and his two passengers were rushed to Bridgeport hospital to be treated for their injuries, but Compton later died at St. Vincent's Hospital in Bridgeport.
It's illegal for anyone to drive ATVs on streets and public property in Connecticut, but they are popular on private country lots with the owner's permission.
Retired 8th grade teacher Nancy Boccuzzi can remember not one, but two students killed in ATV crashes.
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"There were many lectures about that, but I would say it's a very popular winter sport," she said.
Monroe resident Lisa Santiana said she never drove an ATV when she was young, "but they did sound like they'd be a lot of fun."
"Were they popular? Yes, they were very popular," she said.
In Shelton, resident Vicky Dempkowski said that the "ATV people in our neighborhood drive at about 10 at night."
"They make a lot of noise and they're a nuisance," she said.
But Monroe mother Jennifer Hughes said that ATVs won't be a problem for her family if everyone is wearing helmets and driving safely.
"No, I think they're fun for the kids and adults," she said, adding that she's driven one herself.
Meanwhile, the Monroe Police Department's accident reconstruction team responded to the crash Saturday and continue to investigate what happened.
