A Connecticut rail train hit an ATV that was left on tracks near Berlin early Sunday, forcing about 20 passengers to have to change trains so the incident could be investigated, a Department of Transportation spokesman said.

The incident occurred a little before 11 a.m. on the tracks about three miles south of the Berlin Train Station, according to DOT spokesman Josh Morgan.

Morgan said no injuries were reported.

The ATV did not have a rider when the train hit it, but it had been left on tracks, Morgan said.

The tracks are owned by Amtrak but the train is owned by the state of Connecticut. The rail line runs between New Haven and Springfield.

Morgan said the train was northbound when it hit the unoccupied ATV. The passengers transferred to another train so they could reach their destinations, he said.

Morgan noted that no access is allowed to tracks and that any access to tracks is considered trespassing.

“It is incredibly dangerous to be anywhere near an active rail line,” he said.

Morgan said the ATV was removed and the train is out of service so it can be be inspected at the New Haven station. Other trains are running.

Morgan said as of Sunday “we do not really know” why the ATV was on the tracks. He said it remains under investigation by railroad officials, state and local police.

“They are trying to figure what it was doing there,” Morgan said, noting that officials also are seeking witnesses.

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Those who pay rent instead of mortgages have rights too and a special forum in West Hartford on Tuesday, May 21, will look into just what those rights are.

Greater Hartford Legal Aid is hosting a free legal seminar on tenant rights at the Elmwood Community Center, 1106 New Britain Ave., West Hartford, on Tuesday, May 21, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

The event will feature attorney Kelsey Bannon and is free and open to the public.

Items up for discussion, include:

• Leases
• Renter’s rights and responsibilities
• Pre-move-in inspections
• Discrimination
• Rent increases
• Security deposits
• Changes to Connecticut laws

Greater Hartford Legal Aid is a not-for-profit law office that gives free civil legal services to low-income people and seniors in the Hartford area.

They represent individual clients before courts and government agencies and groups of clients in complex litigation.

They also provide community legal education to empower people to know their rights and advocate for themselves.

GHLA collaborates regularly with the Town of West Hartford on numerous levels, particularly by providing free legal advice and representation for income-eligible residents.

Those attending can access the Elmwood Community Center via Burgoyne Street. Free parking is available.

The event is sponsored by West Hartford Social Services.

WEST HARTFORD, CT — This week’s Hidden Gem kind of makes you go “whoa,” not only because of a prominent statue, but who carved it and his lasting impact nationwide.

OK … let’s set the stage. You’re shopping in the Blue Back Square commercial district in West Hartford. You’re at roughly 20 Main St. and gaze toward a set of red brick, traditional New England buildings.

Poof … there’s Noah Webster.

Most of us know the contributions of Mr. Webster. After all, he essentially taught us how to understand words before we use them. Aside from the statue, his West Hartford home also serves as a testament to his legacy.

Back to the statue …

To Webster’s left is a monument to Korczak Ziolkowsky, a professional artist who lived from 1908 to 1982.

Ziolkowsky was Born is Boston and was self-taught. He moved to West Hartford and began selling his works throughout New England and, in 1932, gifted the 13-and-a-half-foot Webster statue to the town, a two-year-project.

Then, in 1939, he was living large in South Dakota and assisted Gutzon Borglum with caving Mount Rushmore.

He then returned to South Dakota and initiated the carving of the Crazy Horse Monument that measures 563-feet high and 641-feet long.

____

Picture Connecticut is a weekly series that features images of the state, past and present.
Here are past images:

2024

• The Cirque, Hartford
• The Amerbelle Spillway, Rockville
• The ECSU Gallery, Willimantic
• Great Captain Island, Greenwich
• Bobblehead Madness, Storrs
• Bobby Sands/Hunger Strike Memorial, Hartford
• Mr. Jonathan Goes To Hartford, Hartford
• The Latest Discount Airline, New Haven
• State Groundhog Gets Arrested, Manchester
• Historic Wartime Sutures, Willington
• Big Business Week In CT, statewide
• The Marketplace at Guilford Food Center Guilford
• Main Street at night, Middletown
• The Hide-and-Seek Bear, Tolland
• The MLK Mural, Manchester
• The Mount Southington Summit, Southington

2023

• All Faiths Gather At Town Park, Vernon
• Riverside Igloos, Milford
• The TPC Pro Shop, Cromwell
• The Santa House, North Pole, er, Northern Connecticut
• Mile 4 Funnel, Manchester Road Race, Manchester
• UConn Lacrosse Giving Back, Connecticut River Valley
• The Capitol Grounds Tour, Part 3, Hartford
• The Capitol Grounds Tour, Part 2, Hartford
• The Capitol Grounds Tour, Part 1, Hartford
• The Doughboy, East Hartford
• The Walt Whitman Stone, West Hartford
• The indoor bush plane, Hartford County
• The Big Pink Chair, Ellington
• The Notch, Granby
• The CT 9/11 Monument, Westport
• Vintage Gas Pump, Somers
• Tobacco Harvest, East Windsor
• Late Afternoon, Lakeside, Coventry
• Fogarea, New Haven County
• Judy Black Memorial Park and Gardens, Washington Depot
• Connecticut River Police Boat, Rocky Hill
• The first dentist, Windsor
• The Frog Bridge, Willimantic
• The World War Bridge Rapids, Putnam
• The Peeking Cow, Tolland County
• The Ivy Lacrosse Tournament, New Canaan
• The Bradley International Airport runway, Windsor Locks
• The Underground Railroad, Unionville
• The cow carousel, Ellington
• Charles Island, Milford
• State Veterans Cemetery, Middletown
• Glastonbury-Rocky Hill Ferry, Glastonbury/Rocky Hill
• The Old County Jailhouse, Tolland
• Agent Orange Monument, Andover
• The Sunken Garden, Farmington
• Lafayette Tour Monument, Vernon
• The Pinchot Sycamore, Simsbury
• Bob’s Discount Furniture Studios, Manchester