Thomas E. Carney

Lieutenant

State

CT State Police

End of Watch: 12/6/1982

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While on general patrol, Lt. Carney, age 42, stopped with a motorist on I-84 in Southbury. He was standing on the shoulder of the highway when he was struck and killed by the trailer portion of a tractor-trailer semi-truck.

On December 6, 1982, Lt. Thomas E. Carney, age 42, was struck and killed while stopped with a motorist on I-84 in Southbury. Lt. Carney was on his way from his home in Newtown to Troop L on general patrol and was standing on the shoulder of the highway when he was struck by the trailer portion of a tractor-trailer semi-truck.

What made his death all the more tragic was that there was a widespread belief that Lt. Carney was struck and killed by a trucker who was attempting to “dust him.” “Dusting” is a practice in which truckers come as close to a Trooper on the edge of the road as they can, and then hope the huge gust of wind kicked up by the truck will knock the Trooper’s hat off.

Lt. Carney entered the Academy in October 1965 and was first assigned to Troop G. He was promoted to Detective in December 1971. In July of 1972 he was made Corporal and sixteen months later he was promoted to Sergeant. He was promoted to lieutenant in February 1980 and named the Commander Officer of Troop L.