Town mourns Ed Bigelow

SHARON — A 93-year-old Cornwall man died at the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Route 7 on Monday, April 4. Edward Bigelow, who had a home on the Sharon-Goshen Turnpike, is being mourned by the town and remembered as a vital person who didn’t let age stop him from enjoying a full life.On Monday, Bigelow was driving south on a winding stretch of Route 7 that is between routes 112 and 128 and that runs along the Housatonic River. Just before 12:30 p.m., his 2007 Subaru Impreza sedan crossed into the northbound lane on a curve. State Police in their report noted that it was a “moderate curve with wet conditions.”Bigelow’s sedan collided head-on with a 10-wheel dump truck in the oncoming lane. The truck was not carrying a load. Both vehicles were badly damaged, according to the police report, and they erupted into flames following the impact. A charred and buckled spot in the road, a little more than a mile north of Swaller Hill Road in Sharon, marks the site of the crash.According to the report provided by the State Police, the reason why Bigelow crossed over into the wrong lane is not yet known.Route 7 was closed into the late afternoon while an accident reconstruction team investigated.The truck was driven by Anthony Padin, 47, of Winsted. Padin did not appear to have any injuries, but was taken to Sharon Hospital for evaluation. Although the police report showed the truck as registered to Padin, it is a Century Concrete truck registered in New York state and operating out of Century Acquisitions in North Canaan. No one at the company would confirm that it was their vehicle or comment for the record.Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department was the first to be dispatched to the scene. Among them was Rescue Chief Skip Kosciusko, a longtime next door neighbor of Bigelow and his wife, Carla. The sudden and unexpected death is hitting all who knew Bigelow hard. At a meeting that night of the Board of Selectmen, board members spoke of Bigelow’s positive attitude and great sense of humor.First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said Carla Bigelow always said her husband’s job was to walk their little dog, Barney, and he did so faithfully, even through the winter’s many snowstorms. “He was quiet, but always willing to help,” Ridgway said. “It was amazing that at 90-plus he still did so much.”Ridgway recalled most recently Bigelow’s reaction when a road sign was left in front of the Bigelow’s house when a tree blew down. Knowing the highway crew was very busy, Bigelow later called the selectmen’s office, not to complain, but to offer to bring it back to the town garage himself.“When our farmstand was broken into a couple of years ago, Ed and Carla volunteered to go on surveillance,” he said. “They walked their dog up and down our street keeping an eye on things and checking out cars going by. Our hearts go out to the family and all the volunteers who were at the scene.”Selectman K.C. Baird remembered Bigelow as a good customer at the former West Cornwall Market. Bigelow, described as a really good cook, was engagingly particular.“He always wanted his rib eyes a good inch-and-a-half thick,” Baird said. “He would come into the back and show me how to cut it.”The Lakeville Hose Company and Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department were also dispatched, to provide traffic control for a detour.