Connecticut schools closed after storm; Man electrocuted after crash

NEW MILFORD (WABC) -- A storm that ripped through Connecticut Tuesday night is being blamed for the death of a man who was electrocuted after his car crashed into a pole.

The damage has also forced the closure of schools across the New Milford area.

The storm brought lightning, heavy rain and gusty winds and left nearly 6,000 utility customers without power at the peak of the outages.

Connecticut Light & Power reported 5,700 outages early Wednesday, more than 3,000 of them in New Milford.

Schools in New Milford and Regional School Districts 12 and 15, which includes Southbury and Middlebury, are closed Wednesday because of outages, damage and potentially unsafe roads, and other schools are opening late.

Police say the fatality occurred about 7 p.m. Tuesday after electrical wires came down onto the victim's vehicle on Van Car Road. The man was electrocuted as he attempted to escape the burning car.

His name has not been released.