10 dead after holiday weekend car crashes
Four people were killed in a one-car crash in Thompson on Monday, capping a particularly deadly Memorial Day weekend.
The Thompson crash brought the holiday weekend’s death toll to 10 people, including four who died in a wrong-way collision on I-95. State police responded to 359 accidents, 35 with reported injuries and one with serious injuries.
“We are extremely concerned and saddened by the tragic fatal crashes that occurred during this holiday weekend,” state police spokeswoman Sgt. Dawn Pagan said Tuesday.
“We cannot emphasize enough that as we move into the summer weather that the public take caution — buckle up, slow down, ditch distractions, move over,” Pagan said. “Small changes can make the difference between going home safely or a tragedy.”
In the state’s waterways, a body was recovered from the Connecticut River in Wethersfield on Monday, and crews on Tuesday continued to search for a missing boater in
Candlewood Lake.
The Thompson crash happened about 5 p.m. on Quaddick Town Farm Road. Johan Santana, 18, of Providence, was driving a 2017 Honda Civic southbound when he tried to overtake another vehicle ahead of him, police said. Santana lost control, ran off the right side of the roadway and crashed into a tree, police said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. Also killed were Jaslin Perez, 21, of Providence, Erika Perez, 21, whose address was not listed, and Lixandra Almonte Terrero, 21, of Providence, police said. Reyniel Alfonso Lopez, 21, of Providence, was reportedly seriously injured.
Four people died Sunday following a wrong-way crash on I-95 southbound in Guilford, state police said. A Chevrolet Colorado was southbound in the left lane between Exit 60 and Exit 59 when it collided with a Nissan Altima traveling the wrong way, police said. The driver of the Chevrolet and two passengers were killed, and the driver of the Nissan also was pronounced dead at the scene, state police said.
In Hampton early Saturday, a 17-year-old
Willimantic resident was killed when the car he was driving left Route 6 and struck several trees, state police said. The accident remains under investigation. State police said a 49-year-old Niantic resident also was killed in a crash about 7:30 p.m. on I-95 in Madison.
Also on Sunday, a 17-year-old male fell from cliffs at Gillette Castle State Park. He was taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford with facial injuries and was listed in stable condition, a state official said Sunday night.
From Friday through Monday, troopers made 37 DUI arrests, issued 615 speeding tickets, 145 seatbelt citations and 451 tickets for hazardous moving violations, including unsafe lane change and following too closely.
The 2022 Memorial Day weekend has proved the deadliest in the past several years. In 2021, police tallied 377 accidents, 56 with injuries and one fatal. In 2020, there were 175 accidents with no fatalities, and in 2019, police investigated 341 accidents, 52 with injuries and one fatal.