Tuesday, March 12, 2002post://10672810/Speed, wet road blamed for crash fatal to man, 26 Union News Tuesday, March 12, 2002 SPRINGFIELD — Police said a combination of excessive speed and wet roads appear to have led to an accident that took the life of a 26-year-old city man early Sunday morning. Sgt. Thomas Long of the Traffic Bureau said that Philip E. Rossmeisl Jr. of 80 Eleanor Road was driving west on Wilbraham Road at Lumae Street in his 1999 Honda Civic at 2:20 a.m. when he lost control of the car. Witnesses said that the car was traveling at a high rate of speed on wet roads when it spun at least 360 degrees, crossed the eastbound lanes and hit a tree. Rossmeisl was not wearing a seat belt, Long said. The car slid sideways into the tree on the passenger side causing extensive damage, he said. Long said that the car was estimated to be going 60 mph in a 35 mph zone. He said that there were pools of standing water on the road, which could have caused the car to hydroplane. Rossmeisl was born in Springfield and lived in Vernon, N.H., and Sparta, N.J., before returning here five years ago. He graduated from Sparta High School in New Jersey and had attended Holyoke Community College. He was a waiter for the Smokey Bones Restaurant in Springfield. [ In Memory of Phil ] posted @ 7:33 PM -x- |