Thursday, September 27, 2012

Abilis Worker Killed in Merritt Crash Remembered

Another article on Carrie...

Greenwich Time- Abilis Executive Director Laurel Ross began to worry when Carrie Shelomis, a member of the human resources department at the Greenwich nonprofit agency, hadn't reported to work Wednesday morning.

"We were nervous when she didn't call in," Ross said in a telephone interview with Greenwich Time on Thursday.

Ross, who described Shelomis as a kind and lovely young woman, said she began to think of the worst a short time later when Shelomis, a reliable employee, still hadn't shown up.
"Two minutes later, we got a phone call from a state trooper," Ross said.

Shelomis, a 34-year-old mother who lived on State Street in Hamden, was killed Wednesday morning after the Cadillac she was driving careened off the southbound Merritt Parkway in Greenwich and rolled down an embankment into a wooded area, State Police said.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the state police report. The accident occurred around 7:35 a.m. near exit 27, according to Greenwich police.
"It's so tragic," Ross said.

Shelomis had attempted to negotiate a left curve in the two-lane road and struck the cement median, according to state police. Her 1997 Cadillac Catera then veered to the right, striking the wooden guardrail and flipping over it. The car struck a tree with the left, driver's-side door and then rolled down a steep embankment, coming to rest on its roof at the edge of the Byram River.
There were no passengers in the car and no other vehicles were involved.

Shelomis, a mother of two girls, ages 1 and 3, had been employed at Abilis, an agency that works with the disabled, for about four months, Ross said.

"In her short time here, she really impressed us with her kindness" and willingness to contribute, Ross said. "She became part of the family quickly ... This is something that's hard for all of us to comprehend."

A fund will likely be established to benefit Shelomis' daughters, Ross said.
"She talked about her babies all the time," she said.

Phil Balcastro, Shelomis' husband, provided a statement through Ross.

"She was a wonderful mom," he said. "The main focus right now is to take care of (our) daughters."
Balcastro said Shelomis was a great person who "lit up" when she talked about Abilis.
One lane was closed Wednesday morning and traffic backed up as Shelomis' vehicle was removed from the ravine. Firefighters used ropes to lower themselves and equipment to the vehicle. The driver's door was removed to extricate Shelomis, a deputy fire chief said.

The accident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call State Trooper Wayne Rogalski at the Troop G barracks in Bridgeport at 203-696-3000.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

R.I.P. Carrie

A  co-worker, please keep her in your thoughts. ='[ 


A 34-year-old Hamden mother of two was killed this morning when her car crashed on the Merritt Parkway during her commute to work in Greenwich. 

According to a Connecticut State Police report, the victim of the single-vehicle accident was Carrie A. Shelomis, of 1835 State St., Hamden.

Shelomis was driving her 1997 Cadillac Catera southbound on the parkway about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, when it careened onto a barrier, before crashing through a guardrail and rolling down an embankment before coming to rest into the shallow waters of the Byram River, police said.
"Vehicle 1 attempted to negotiate a curve in the road to the left and then struck the cement barrier in the median," according to the report written by State Police Officer Wayne Rogalski.

"Vehicle 1 then went to the right, struck and went over the wooden guardrail on the right, struck a tree with (its) left side driver's door area and rolled down a steep embankment. Vehicle 1 came to a final rest on (its) roof. Operator 1 was pronounced dead at the scene," according to the report.
And as the news spread, the staff and clients of a Greenwich-based agency for the disabled mourned the passing of a colleague.

Employees at Abilis, which is located just off the King Street exit of the Merritt Parkway near where the accident occurred, were worried that Shelomis had not contacted them.

Abilis spokeswoman Joy Haenlein said Shelomis would call the agency if traffic prevented her from reporting on time to her human resources assistant position she held for about three months, and co-workders worried when they heard there was an accident Wednesday morning.

"Carrie worked for us for about three months, but in the time she was with us, she was professional, kind, and always there to pitch in," Haenlein said. "She had two small children. Our hearts go out to her family ... we're all pretty stunned."

Haenlein added, "She was lovely ... she was very professional ... no one ever had a bad word about her... we were so happy to have her on our team ... everybody in the agency is very sad."
Haenlein said, "...we all have the same reaction, we are all very saddened....the reaction was very, very sad. As you know, our place is very lively ... and it wasn't today."

State police are seeking witnesses to the crash. If anyone has any information about the accident, they are asked to call Trooper Rogalski at Troop G at 203-696-2500.