2 people killed in Bridgeport motorcycle crash at dangerous intersection

According to police, a 2012 black Chevy Equinox struck a 2004 black Suzuki GSX-R1000 traveling east on Stratford Avenue, causing the motorcycle to collide with a parked 2014 white Dodge Ram 1500.

News 12 Staff and Marissa Alter

Jun 3, 2024, 11:44 AM

Updated 126 days ago

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A motorcyclist and a passenger are dead following a crash on Stratford Avenue in Bridgeport. The incident occurred on Sunday around 6:18 p.m.
According to police, a 2012 black Chevy Equinox was traveling south on Bishop Avenue and attempted to turn left onto Stratford Avenue. The vehicle struck a 2004 black Suzuki GSX-R1000 traveling east on Stratford Avenue, causing the motorcycle to collide with a parked 2014 white Dodge Ram 1500.
The 2004 black Suzuki GSX-R1000 was operated by 32-year-old Carlos Jean Parra Rodriguez of Stratford. He had a 21-year-old passenger identified as Deivi Suarez of Allentown, PA. Both Rodriguez and Suarez were transported to Bridgeport Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
The driver of the 2012 black Chevy Equinox was identified as an 18-year-old male from Bridgeport. His passenger, a 15-year-old female from Bridgeport, sustained minor injuries and was treated at Bridgeport Hospital. The driver did not sustain any injuries.
The crash was just the latest that emergency crews have responded to there.
“It's a bad intersection, and I don't know what can be done about it,” said East End NRZ President Keither Williams.
Six months ago, News 12 reported on a hit-and-run crash there that sent a seriously hurt pedestrian to the hospital.
“It's been a problem for a while because they're speeding down the street,” Williams stated.
There are no speed limit signs in the immediate vicinity. The closest one on Stratford Avenue is .8 miles before Bishop Ave. It puts the speed limit at 25 mph, which was a surprise to some people who live there.
“I believe it’s 35 or 40 on this main road, but people go above that all the time,” said Nicole Dubois before News 12 told her. “Oh, it's 25? Wow. So, people go way over it. Oh my gosh. People never go 25.”
One person described it more like a two-lane highway.
“It's a one-way street, and they're just speeding. And you know, we used to have a two-way street years back,” said Williams, who’s lived in the area since 1979. “So, we're in the works of trying to work to get that back, and I think that would kind of help slowing the traffic down.”
But the problems go beyond speeding.
There's a visibility issue with the stop sign on Bishop Avenue.
“You have to pull out a little bit to see down the street a little bit, but some people, they don't pull out slowly. They pull out too fast, and then when something's coming, it's too late. They have to slow down and ease out,” Williams said.
As he spoke with News 12, two cars went right through the stop sign, never stopping, which he said is common.
One woman suggested putting in a traffic light. Dubois said to get rid of parking on Stratford Avenue near intersections.
“Because of the cars being parked, you can't see if there's cars coming. Or if you see a car far off, you think you have time, but they're going almost 60, and by the time you've turned, they've hit you,” Dubois explained. “At least if there was some space before the corner, it might give us a chance to see when cars were right there, so people weren't turning right into traffic.”
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact detectives at 475-422-6141.