Norwich — A Griswold man remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday after crashing his pickup truck into the woods off Interstate 395 in Norwich, police said.

Jack W. Caldwell, 44, of Bitgood Road in Griswold, was flown by Life Star helicopter to Hartford Hospital following the 3:20 p.m. accident.

State police said Caldwell was traveling south on I-395 when his truck traveled off the right side of the highway between Exits 80 and 81. His truck traveled over the wire rope guard rails and into a stand of trees.

The crash forced a temporary shutdown of the highway while emergency crews from East Great Plain and Yantic fire departments worked to cut away portions of the vehicle and free Caldwell. A fire in the truck was extinguished by some bystanders before firefighters arrived.

Traffic clogged side roads in Norwich for a time as motorists sought ways around the accident.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.