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The New Haven County incident happened at around 1:15 a.m. Tuesday, March 26, on northbound Route 8 in Waterbury.
State Police said an elderly man driving a Toyota Prius was reported going the wrong way in the left lane of Route 8 North near exit 36.
A trooper working at a nearby highway construction project was responding to the call when the Toyota crashed into the front end of their police cruiser, bringing both vehicles to a stop.
Neither the trooper nor the Toyota driver was injured, though the elderly driver appeared disoriented and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, police said.
He was issued an infraction for driving the wrong way on a divided highway.
Following the incident, Connecticut State Police urged residents to evaluate the driving capabilities of relatives who are in poor health, show signs of visual impairment, or demonstrate slowed reaction times.
“Residents are encouraged to, if possible, personally observe older family members behind the wheel to determine if they should maintain a driver’s license or if a medical evaluation of their driving capabilities is warranted,” the agency said.
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