Police: Fatal crash caused by unsafe pass, driver’s license had been revoked
Firefighters move around two badly damaged vehicles on the Wilton Road near Comfort Inn Monday night.
WILTON - The operator of a vehicle involved in a Route 2 crash Monday evening that resulted in two fatalities had no license and was classified as a habitual offender, police said today.
Investigators believe that a 2004 Chrysler Sebring, operated by Joseph Breton, 36 of Jay, was attempting to pass another vehicle while traveling westbound on the Wilton Road when the collision occurred. According to Wilton Police Department Chief Heidi Wilcox, Breton's license had been revoked by the state and he was classified as a habitual offender. That status is applied to individuals by the secretary of state after they are convicted of three or more criminal convictions involving vehicles in a five-year period.
Investigators believe that Breton's vehicle collided head-on with a 2000 Ford Ranger, operated by David Miller, 44 of Wilton. The pickup truck's passenger, his mother, Meta Sevigny, 80 of New Vineyard, and Breton were killed in the crash.
A passenger in the Sebring, Carlton Elliott, 22 of Industry, as well as Miller were transported to nearby Franklin Memorial Hospital by NorthStar Emergency Medical Services. They were later moved to other hospitals and Wilcox reported they were listed as being in a stable condition as of Tuesday.
A third vehicle, a 2000 Saturn operated by Thomas Lake, 50 of Jay, sustained minor damage after it collided with the Sebring while trying to avoid the crash. Lake was unhurt.
Firefighters and police from both Farmington and Wilton were at the scene for hours Monday evening, rerouting traffic to Rt. 133. Accident reconstruction and forensic mapping of the scene was completed by the Franklin County Sheriff's Department. The crash was investigated by WPD Sgt. Richard Billian.
The primary factors in the collision, Wilcox said Wednesday, were believed to be speed and reckless driving. The area where Breton attempted to pass another vehicle, near the Comfort Inn, is marked as a no-pass zone.
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sad,sad,sad
How very, very sad. :(
I hope all is well with everyone involved...
I love you and miss you mom. You and marius (Your husband of 30 years having passed away only on Dec 3RD) will always be missed.
How can all be well?
How tragic....I think that NO PASSING should be a new LAW... too many head on collisions happen too many times. How fragile a life is when you look at it.
What a loss to all the families involved. I do not understand why a person who has a suspended license and is a habitual offender would even dare to drive. My prayers go out to the families involved for their loss.
Rest in peace Joseph........We will miss you! Until we meet again cousin:(
Considering 2 people are dead and 2 are in CMMC, I wouldn't say all is well for anyone. Such a sad story and getting to be so common. Instead of silly little police stops over inspection stickers and 5 miles over speeding tickets why aren't the police investigating these habitual offenders and doing random license checks? So sorry for the entire Miller family. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
@ Not So Good, This incident is EXACTLY why the police make "silly, little" stops. Defects, Inspection Stickers and so on may just be minor violations that allow police to dig a little deeper into who is driving and what their license status is are they intoxicated, etc, etc. Police can't just randomly stop anyone to check their license.
How tragic....I think that NO PASSING should be a new LAW... too many head on collisions happen too many times. How fragile a life is when you look at it.
Deb......................
So, you think we need another new law?
He passed in a zone that it is unlawful to pass in, he was driving without a license which is rather unlawful and he was driving recklessly. Also unlawful.
Do you really think another law would have saved a life here?
Did you read the last line of the story which says.......
The primary factors in the collision, Wilcox said Wednesday, were believed to be speed and reckless driving. The area where Breton attempted to pass another vehicle, near the Comfort Inn, is marked as a no-pass zone.
Ihop eth eperson who let Mr. Breton drive thier vehicle is brought up on whatever charges they can be and given the stiffest penalty for this. if Mr. Elliot has a licnse and let mr Breton drive that needs to be checked out as well if Mr. Breton had been abiding the law he would not be dead nor would Mrs Sevigny. Also Dave & Mr. Elliot could be un injured as well.. what a waste of life over needing to be "leader of the pack"
He shouldnt have even been on the road and being so irresponsible. Some people really only think of themselves and now he is dead along with inocent others. What a shame.
I feel so bad for the Miller family. It is such a shame that so many people are innocently killed and injured by drunk drivers & people with suspended or revoked licenses every year. We hear about accidents caused by "those type of people" all the time in the news and paper and most of the time all they get is a slap on the wrist. Maybe the government needs to start confiscating their vehicles from them once their license is on a long term suspension or fully revoked and sell off their vehicles and give the money from the sales to the victims of DUI, suspended & revoked drivers. Also if they are caught driving after they have lost their vehicle give them at least 5 years in jail (because that would be a slap on the wrist compared to the murder or manslaughter charge they will end up with later when they kill someone in a accident) because otherwise there stories are still gonna be on the increase. If Joseph had survived the crash I would hope the the courts would of throw the book at him and charged him with manslaughter or better yet murder.
I love you and miss you so much Grammy. At least now you are with Grandpa. & get better Dad, I love you and I wish I could be down there with you all instead of up at here at school. Tomorrow can't come soon enough.
This shows why there is no reason people need to rush in weather like this, is it really worth taking someones life? Or even your own? So aggravated with the other driver's need to pass at the very last second. There is no need. Made me even more upset when my mom called to tell me he did not even have a license and has been in trouble before :(
Sorry about your mom Dave, she was a very kind lady.
And someone want's to blame the police. The police pull people over in that section all the time. Joseph is to blame, there is more to the story and it should be sought out and told.
Joseph has paid the price with his life and taken another in the process. Justice is not served. Why do people continue to make these horrible choices.. What a waste of life.
If that was not his car the owner has some answering to do, to the Miller family and to the community. Someone enabled him to get behind the wheel.
I am very sorry for the loss of the woman in the crash. True Joe shouldn't have been driving, he also shouldn't have made that pass. But while everyone is busy slandering him are you considering that his daughter may be reading this? There are two very young children who are grieving their Father. I knew Joe, and he was a wonderful Father and good friend. Yes, he had no license, but can you step back and think about a time when you may have had to drive and there was no way around it? Yes he was a habitual offender, alright. But he was only a human and we make mistakes, terrible mistakes that we can't take back, with consequences that are affecting many families. But let's think about the kids, before we completely slander him without knowing all of the facts that we will never know.
Another senseless killing of one of our innocent seniors. So sad... Ours thoughts are with you.
Dave,I am so sorry , I hope you a quick recovery and my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, We all love you, the whole family is thinking of you and yours
Thank you ally!!!!! My child just lost dad(JOESPH) the love of each others life and you people are so sick and coldhearted they do this !!!! God help you get a life
one time, maybe two times is a mistake. he had made the mistake enough times to get his license revoked. and then still did the same thing. by this point it is no longer "oops I made a mistake," this was a CHOICE. I almost lost my father as well. I would never wish this upon anyone, and I feel so sorry for his children, they should not have to grieve and feel this way. But it was his choice. It is his fault his children and myself, my 10 year old brother and the remainder of all families involved are going through this right now..
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@ Ally Beane I am sorry his kids are grieving thier father;s death bu tif he had abided the law he would be alive and so would Meta she was 80 and still full of spunk she worked ALL her life long and abided the law.. David Miller her son is in the hospital because of Mr. Breton's choice not to obey the law you would think that without a licsense inhis handf he would have been driving super careful and obeying every othe rlaw inspite of not following the rule that he was not legally behind the wheel his death is his own fault and and took an innocent sweet lady with him .. I have been crying for My nephew who shares his birthday with his Grandmother .. this year will hit him hard an dhe CANNOT speak here either!
Excuse me " Joseph" is my child's dad they loved eachother more then anything!!!! He made choices but HE WAS A GREAT GUY and this is my child's father I'm reading about back off and find some other form of entertainment for urself!!!!
This is so very sad.
Thoughts and prayers to both families.
If only we could take back everything in our lives that we have done wrong and make it right, I am sure that we all would do it.
Don't stir the pot, show respect for the families.
The DUI laws will never be harsh, because our fearless leaders in Augusta have too many relatives that do the same thing. Can you invision one of our leaders punishing a relative! Until we vote out the weak in Augusta, we will be at the mercy of DUI drivers. Remember the next time you see a car approach, it could be a DUI that Augusta sanctioned because they fear bad press and relative rath.
Passing in a no passing zone is a law. It's a civil infraction like speeding where you get a dollar amount fine.
its sad that his children are left with that legacy. Lets pray that they grow to learn a lesson and not want to leave their own children with a legacy like their father left them. No matter if he broke the law or not, it is still going to hurt for the children, but do not shelter them. Teach them.
Joseph lost his life, because he chose to break the law. First he lost his license, then he lost his life. And in the process, he stole someone elses. As much as your hurting by the hurtful words people are saying, take into account that the other family, who just lost someone last MONTH, now lost another person in their life because Joseph made a bad decision. The truth hurts sometimes, unfortunatly. And the truth is, he not only was driving because he wasnt supose to, but he chose to be CARELESS about it. Many people drive without licenses and dont get caught, because they obey the laws so they DONT get caught. Joseph decided to take a joy ride and drive like reckless and took his own life and stole someone elses.
I hope ALL of your pain eases, and you look to God for forgiveness, he has paid his price with his life, I hope when he reached the Lord he asked for his forgiveness. And I hope Mr. Miller and his family can find it in their hearts to ask Him to forgive Joseph as well. Let us thank the Lord that Mr. Miller didnt take his mothers hand and go to God with her.
Forgiveness, people. I hope you can seek Him and find some, not for the other person, but for yourselves.
it's funny how people now want more cops stopping more people on route 4....read some other editorials and you'll find people cranking about how cops stop too many people on rt 4 for speeding....
AT A TIME LIKE THIS PEOPLE NEED TO THINK OF MY NIECE WHO IS INNOCENT AND IS HEARING ALL OF THIS. My niece (Joe's daughter) is hurting badly right now! Have some respect for us, the ones that loved Joe.
alll my prayers fro the family for josph
RIP uncle Joe, you were a great guy and it's sad that you and someone else died because you couldn't obey the law... love you lots and we'll all miss you especially your children... <3 :''(
This is a public forum. people are going to say what is on their minds wether it's right or not. If you are worried about your children's feelings, DO NOT LET THEM READ THIS INFORMATION. It's a no brainer. To try and stop people from making comments good or bad is ridiculous.
I think people in general are just concerned this could have been one of their family members involved. We can't fathom how a person who is supposedly a good father and good person could be this irresponsible and risk his life as well as others. Thankfully he did not have any of his children with him this time.
You can be sure if this one one of my family members that was kiled by his actions, my comments would not be allowed to appear, I'm sure they would be censored.
I do understand Joseph's kid(s) lost a father but they still should know that their father was not a law abiding citizen. He was a criminal. It took a "minimum" of 3 criminal driving mistakes to get his license removed in the first place which almost positively included a license suspension in it which he did not stick to which then led to the full revocation of his license. So he had many chances to get back to being a law abiding citizen by abiding by his suspension and being a more careful driver but he chose not to.
I guess if people want us to be kind,they should stop saying what a "great guy" he was.
Prayers to all the families and especially to Joe's mother and children. Living with the mistakes of our loved ones is difficult at best.
Mistakes made all around in this one . Never should of been behind the wheel and he paid the ultimate price and took an innocent life with him .May both families find peacand forgiveness as time goes one.
Please be carefull on the icy roads. please do not talk on your cell phone when driving or when the roads are very icy from the freezing rain.
With the passing of a loved one, Life changes...
I hope that people stay off the roads when icy. Drive safely on the roads. hope that they will not drink when driving the car on the road. play it safe and think about there kids and love one's. make sure that the children are bukled up for safty and if you have car seat make sure it is locked down. make sure that the roads are not icy when they take there children out in the car.
He was a great guy with a big heart I was with him for 7 years and NO my daughter for ur info was not seeing her dad much because of his actions so don't you think my 8 year old don't already knows her dad mad mistakes!!! I have been trying to save his life by holding his daughter so you don't know the story and you don't know him!!!! Inless you knew him you will never understand and yes he was a GREAT GUY!!! Love you Joseph I knew how much you loved everyone and I know how big ur heart was!!!! I will never get on this page again. That wasn't Joseph;(
As is normal with an event like this, there is a wide range of sentiments about this event being posted. The one thread that is part of almost all of the posts is the questioning the wisdom of the comments that people are making. You shouldn't say this, you should feel that, etc. We can all have opinions as to what should be said and done but it must be remembered that these discussions were launched by the actions of this one man who decided to engage in behavior that put him behind the wheel one more time.
Someone once said to me that " You need to take proper care of your business or somebody will take care of it for you and you won't like it". Mr. Breton did not take care of his business (and the business of his children in any way that can be described as responsible) and now his business and the business of his family are out in the public eye. And when your business comes into the public eye like this you have no choice but to endure this. A tragic reality.
I can't say that I like or agree with all of the comments that are posted on this page concerning Mr. Breton and the effects of his actions on his own family and the greater community, but I know that exactly none of them would have been posted here if he had not put that key in the ignition. There is no doubt that his family loved him. A "great guy"? Maybe...I don't know if he was or not but he did not do a great thing here...
To the families of all these victims, I hope and pray for you to once again go on with your lives and not live in this horrible tragedy forever. Hurt, anger, pain and suffering, will all go away with time. You and your families are the victims of Joe's careless choice. To his family, there will be the same feelings of losing a loved one and I hope you too will be able to move on with your lives and remember Joe the way you knew him. After you get over the pain you will see that Joe, himself, caused the pain and suffering of all of us. Joe was my best friend for several years, many years ago. Driving fast, passing people, and pushing the limits were fun for us then. I wish, with all my heart, that with the coming of his children, and years of experience, breaking the law and getting caught, that he would have learned the lessons and decided himself to make a change. Joe was not the kind of guy to learn those lessons. I will miss my friend, I will mourn the loss to his family and friends, but I am sooo sorry for the innocent lives that Joe has disrupted. I hope you can all find the love in your hearts to stop blaming, forgive, and remember that he too had family that cared for him. Not one person should argue that this wasn't caused by Joe and I for one am truly disappointed in my friend, my brother. RIP Joe and Mrs. Sevigny, and I pray a full and speedy recovery to the others that Joe hurt.
MAINEBOY - You said it all!
Well thank you for correcting me. Maybe they should pass a law so the police can check suspended and revoked llcensed individuals like they do people on bail or probation. I don't really correlate driving with an expired inspection sticker the same as a 3 time habitual offender so my bad on that one. God bless the families involved and what a waste of human life.
People.... Some get through their fear and grief by blame. Others.... Turn the other cheek! I noticed quite a few people seemed to be mad that some of us are not able to turn the other cheek.... Possibly because, it could be our car staring down the face of an on coming car in our lane next time! It's hard to not feel anger and bitterness over such an avoidable tragedy. It may hurt to have to face a loved one's shortcomings but if the dialog given and discussed in these columns help even one person stay out from behind the wheel of a car after suspension, then I say keep the dialog going. Just keep the very vulnerable away for reading the article! My heart goes out to the families! All the families! After all they lost someone to! Am I able to turn the other cheek....... Hmmmm, nope not quite yet, but that doesn't mean I don't feel their pain!
Ally Beane, I took your advise and stepped back and thought. What I came up with was, why wasn't his passenger driving.
Thoughts and prayers to both families and I pray Meta finds peace.
Grandma you are so missed, Uncle David I pray you will be healed and able to work again, I don't know how ANYONE could think that any of this entertains us in any way, its an awful tragedy that anyones children have to read the hateful comments on here we all would rather be going through our daily lives as usual Meta also has many grandchildren as well as great grandchildren and a great great grandchild who will not have the chance to ever see her face now, we had all planned on going to visit this summer so Grandma could meet her great granddaughter but that oppurtunity has been taken away!! All of our hearts are hurting and it hurts more to see hatefullness yes our family is MAD but we are not heartless we are sad for the children of the man who was at fault but although we have a heart it is broken and no comments can change this!
Shame on the Daily Bulldog for allowing this forum topic to get this far!
Wells My mom, sister, brother, and myself were supposed to be taking a trip up there so grammy could meet seven of her great-grandchildren. Now my entire family is grieving. For days I have not been able to hardly even sleep. I keep hearing her voice calling "janny-poo". I ran to the bathroocreaming when I initially found out..i couldn't leave my bed for almost a day after that. This has completely shaken me to the core. I hope my uncle david recovers soon. I love and miss my grammy. But forgiveness for the one who caused this horrible tragedy won't come from me. Aunt jen, alissa, & jacob...i hope uncle david comes back home to you soon, love you guys.