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Inspector

Ralph Cosmer Young

Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles — Wethersfield, CT

Accident

End of Watch September 30, 1920

Age 39

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

The Vigil Panel 39 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice

Incident

Inspector Ralph Young was killed in a vehicle crash while traveling between Brooklyn, Connecticut, and Wauregan, Connecticut, at approximately 6:00 pm.

He had traveled to Plainfield along with two state troopers and the borough president to investigate reports of a vehicle that had been driven in the state for more 30 days without an out-of-state license. As the officers were returning to Brooklyn the driver of the vehicle lost control on the wet roadway and struck a fence. The fence rail penetrated the windshield and struck Inspector Young, causing severe internal injuries.

Inspector Young was transported to a local hospital where he died a short time later.

Inspector Young had served with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles for three years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-CT-7FFBB54B
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Inspector Young gave the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Wethersfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Inspector Young.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles

Location Wethersfield, CT

Platform Identity cdmvfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 30, 1920

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Age 39

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Inspector Ralph Cosmer Young is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In CT, 73 of 169 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 43.2% of this state's fallen. That is 12.2 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles

of 1 officers

100% Accident

CT — Statewide

of 169 officers

43.2% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ralph Cosmer Young's cause is highlighted.

Felonious

17,623 (54.2%)

Accident

10,088 (31%)

Illness

2,974 (9.1%)

Cardiac

1,306 (4%)

Undetermined

260 (0.8%)

Suicide

256 (0.8%)

vehicular

1 (0%)

How Ralph Cosmer Young Compares

Age at End of Watch

This officer

Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

Years of Service