Stratford Resident Decries Recurring Car Crashes on Nichols Avenue After Latest Accident

Eight “really bad” car crashes have occurred in front of Stephanie Saujon’s home on Nichols Avenue in the five years since her family moved to the neighborhood, CTPost reported.

The latest incident happened early Sunday morning, Nov. 8, when a single vehicle veered off the road and damaged property, according to a Stratford Police Department news release. The crash took place in the 1100 block of Nichols Avenue, resulting in injuries to the driver or occupants, though their specific conditions were not immediately disclosed by officials.

“It’s disruptive, and it’s anxiety-inducing,” Saujon told CTPost.

The crash occurred so suddenly that Saujon and her family were woken by the sound and a neighbor ringing their doorbell before they could even reach the ground floor. When they stepped outside, they discovered a section of their fence had been “mowed down” and the vehicle was located further down the road.

“I walked out and saw part of the fence was gone,” Saujon recounted, telling CTPost. “I was like, ‘Not again.’”

According to Saujon, the vehicle drove through her fence and the yards of two neighbors before hitting a boulder and eventually crashing into a tree. This event marks the third time in three years that a driver has crashed into her fence.

Nichols avenue and u st se washington dc ca between and

A pattern of high-speed accidents

For residents of the Nichols Avenue area, the latest accident is part of a long-standing and often fatal trend. Saujon said that the recurring nature of the crashes in the exact same location suggests that speeding or a loss of vehicle control is a systemic issue on this stretch of road.

The stakes of these accidents have previously been measured in lives lost. On Oct. 18, 2025, a car occupied by five people, aged between 16 and 24, crashed into Saujon’s fence and a neighbor’s tree. That accident resulted in the death of the 18-year-old driver, Ryan Julian, a recent Bunnell High School graduate and football player, Stratford police Capt. Robert Burroughs said at the time.

The history of instability on this road extends even further back than Saujon’s residency. Beth Herde, who has lived in the Birchwood Square area since 1983, said there have been “a ton of crashes” on Nichols Avenue during her 40 years in Stratford.

“I remember one summer there was a crash every week,” Herde told CTPost. “I remember that because all of our neighbors would go outside and we’d be like, ‘Here we are again.’”

Herde recalled other notable incidents, including a crash in 1998 that killed a young girl and another instance where a car ended up inside a garage while it was being constructed.

Event Date	Primary Impact	Outcome
August 2023	Saujon’s fence	Uninsured driver; family paid out of pocket
Oct. 18, 2025	Saujon’s fence and neighbor’s tree	Fatal; 18-year-old driver killed
Nov. 8, 2026	Saujon’s fence and two neighbors’ yards	Injuries and significant property damage

The struggle for infrastructure changes

Efforts to implement safety measures have met with bureaucratic hurdles. While speed cameras were installed on the road earlier this year, Saujon has been unable to secure more permanent physical barriers like guardrails.

Because Nichols Avenue is a state road, any permanent changes require a coordinated effort between the town of Stratford and the state.

The local traffic authority previously informed Saujon that the road does not currently meet the specific criteria required for the installation of guardrails, though they noted the issue of speed is being taken seriously. Public Works officials told Saujon in May that they were aware of the problems and were attempting to get a traffic study approved.

“Property can be replaced, but people’s lives can’t, and the last thing we want to wake up to is a fatality,” Saujon said, according to CTPost.

Town officials said that the circumstances surrounding the Nov. 8 crash remain under investigation.