WOODBURY, Conn. _ Katherine Ann Berman, wife of ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, was one of two people who died in a car crash in western Connecticut Tuesday.
The crash happened about 2:15 p.m. on a state road in Woodbury, state police said. In addition to Berman, 67, Edward Bertulis, 87, was killed, police said Wednesday morning.
Troopers are investigating the possibility that Bertulis suffered a medical emergency right before Berman's car crashed into the back of his car on Route 64 near Tuttle Road, a state police source told the Courant.
John Skipper, president of ESPN, released a statement about Berman's death.
"This is a devastating tragedy and difficult to comprehend. Chris is beloved by all his ESPN colleagues and for good reason: He has a huge heart and has given so much to so many over the years," he said. "We know how much his family means to him and all we can do at a moment like this is give him the love and support he will surely need at this hour. Our thoughts and prayers are with Chris, Meredith, Doug and the entire family."
According to the state police, a 2003 Lexus SC 430 driven by Berman and 2003 Ford Escape X driven by Bertulis were headed east on Sherman Hill Road, about a mile and a half from the Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, at the time of the crash. The Lexus _ owned by Chris Berman _ was behind the Ford.
The Lexus rear-ended Bertulis' Ford and continued traveling east, veering off the road to the right, state police said. The Lexus went down an embankment and overturned in a small body of water, state police said. The Ford also went off the road, striking a utility pole and landing in the middle of the road on its roof.
Bertulis, of Welles Street in Waterbury, was taken to Waterbury Hospital, where he died, police said. Berman, of Peach Tree Court in Cheshire, died at the scene.
Chris Berman is one of the most recognizable sports broadcasters in the history of televised sports. Born in Greenwich, his sportscasting career began at Hartford's WVIT as a weekend sports anchor.
He joined ESPN at age 24, just one month after its founding. Wednesday is his 62nd birthday.
Katherine and Chris Berman were together more than 30 years. In the '80s, Chris faked car trouble for the opportunity to ask her for a date, the Courant's Michael Arace wrote in 1993.
They were married in 1983, when Katherine was a fourth-grade teacher in Waterbury, according to their wedding announcement in the New York Times.
An elementary education major, Berman attended UConn from the fall of 1967 through the spring of 1971, according to Stephanie Reitz, university spokeswoman. She received a Bachelor of Science in Education with honors on June 7, 1971.
In an exclusive sit-down with Courant sports columnist Jeff Jacobs, Chris Berman reflected on his tenure at ESPN and looked ahead to his changing role with the network that hired him when he was just 24 years old in 1979.
She worked "tirelessly" to overcome illiteracy in the greater Waterbury area, Molly Qerim, ESPN's First Take host and a fellow UConn graduate, said on ESPN Wednesday morning.
