2010 top stories: Crash kills Griswold teens

On Dec. 7, the town of Griswold was forever changed when four of its high school students were killed in a single-car crash on Route 201.

The lone survivor of the accident, Joel Gallup, 16, of 31 Woodcrest Drive, remains hospitalized at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Gallup was in the back seat of a 2007 Nissan Altima when the car struck two side-by-side trees on the rural, winding road. The crash killed four of his friends: Dillon Clifford, 16, of 8 Fairview Ave.; Steven Szklarz, 15, of 786 Route 12; Sativa Cornell, 16, of 131 North Main St., and John Clapper, 16, of 23 Hillview Heights.

The community rallied around the families of the teens. A vigil was held, as were numerous fundraisers, including a boot drive sponsored by the Jewett City and Griswold firefighters that raised more than $50,000. Hundreds attended the four funerals.

Little is known of what led to the deadly crash, which remains under investigation.

- Izaskun Larrañeta