A 22-year-old man was killed when he lost control of his vehicle on Bloomfield Avenue in West Hartford Thursday night.

By Ronni Newton

Speed appeared to be the major factor in a crash Thursday night on Bloomfield Avenue in West Hartford which claimed the life of Hakeem Massiah, 22, of Bloomfield, Capt. Jeff Rose said Friday morning.

The crash happened shortly before 8 p.m.

Massiah was headed northbound on Bloomfield Avenue when he apparently lost control of his vehicle, a 1993 BMW, Rose said.

The car landed facing southbound, wrapped around a tree near the intersection with Abrahms Boulevard right in front of the Mandell JCC.

Police said that Massiah was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rose said that the accident reconstruction team, which worked until close to 3 a.m. at the site, found more than 400 feet of skid marks and gouge marks on the roadway.

One witness told police that the car was “seen traveling at a high rate of speed,” Rose said.

No other factors appeared to contribute to the crash, Rose said, but a toxicology test will be done as part of the autopsy.

Bloomfield Avenue reopened to traffic at about 3 a.m., Rose said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Massiah family,” Rose said.

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