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Philip Labonte, 37, of Thomaston, was riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Route 69 in Bethany Monday night, June 23, around 9:30 p.m. when he struck the deer, Connecticut State Police said.
The impact threw him from the motorcycle and onto the highway.
A 37-year-old Prospect man in a Subaru Impreza passed through the area a few moments later and crashed into Labonte's body.
Labonte was pronounced dead at the scene.
The father of two worked at Winsupply of Shelton. His boss, Prisco Panza, said he was a great employee who went above and beyond for his coworkers, either stepping in to assist or cracking a joke to boost morale.
"He was a super guy who really cared about other people," Panza said. "He was a big guy — big teddy bear, the kind of guy who would reach out to help anybody. ... He always tried to lift other people."
Panza called Labonte's death a "devastating loss."
The crash remains under investigation
Authorities ask anyone who witnessed the wreck to contact Trooper Patrick Miko at 203-393-4200 or [email protected].
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