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.

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