Man charged in fatal Gold Star Bridge tanker crash

GROTON—State police have charged a New London man with negligent homicide in connection with the fiery, fatal Gold Star Bridge tanker crash in Groton last April.

Reginald Collins, 59, was driving on the bridge in a Toyota Avalon with faulty tires and no insurance, headed south on Interstate 95 from Groton toward New London, on April 21, 2023, when he crossed lanes and stopped on the side of road, according to an arrest warrant.

His car then was hit by a home delivery oil tanker that flipped and caught fire, sending flames and smoke into the air and down a wide stretch of the right lane of the bridge that crosses the Thames River in Groton and New London, the warrant said.

The crash killed the tanker’s driver, 42-yearold Wallace Fauquet III of Stonington, reports said at the time.

Fauquet did not have the proper credentials to drive with hazardous materials, state police said in the warrant. But that wasn’t a contributing factor in the crash, the warrant said.

The yearlong investigation by State Police concluded the fatal crash was caused by Collins, who had created a traffic hazard by remaining stopped in the right acceleration lane “and failing to move the vehicle out of the travel lane to a safe location,” the warrant said.

Collins had just purchased four used tires and was testing them out on the bridge when the front end of the car began to shake, his passenger told state police, according to the warrant. Collins went into the left acceleration lane and back into the right acceleration lane as the truck was coming over the bridge in the same direction, the warrant said.

Collins stopped his car in the right acceleration lane, got out and saw that a front tire was shredded, then had gotten back in the vehicle when it was struck from the rear by the truck, the warrant said.

Fauquet tried to take evasive action but hit the rear of the Avalon with the right-front of the truck, causing his vehicle to tip on its side and slide with the car more than 200 feet, the warrant said.

Both vehicles and multiple portions of the bridge were engulfed in flames, the warrant said. Bystanders who stopped at the crash were able to rescue Collins, who was unconscious, his passenger told police, according to the warrant. Collins was interviewed at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, where he was taken after the crash, the warrant said.

He told police that his car was hit by the truck seconds after he stopped in the right acceleration lane to check on the tire, the warrant said.

A GoFundMe page organized by Fauquet’s family described him as a “doting, devoted, and loving husband” to his wife. The page said he is survived by two adult children and two younger sons, ages 12 and 15.

“Wally was a hardworking, caring, charismatic, family man,” the page stated. “He truly made the world a better place and helped everyone. He would have done anything for anyone.”

Fauquet’s obituary said he “never met a stranger since he befriended everyone he met.”

“He was selfless and always helped everyone which was a priority for him,” the obituary said.

The day of the crash, some motorists captured the massive blaze on the bridge which spread several hundred feet down the right lane and right walking lane because of the oil spill. Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.

Two southbound lanes of the bridge had to be inspected and were opened that evening, state Department of Transportation officials said at the time. The pedestrian crossing, the shoulder and the acceleration lane were closed for a good period of time for repairs.

Collins turned himself in Wednesday to be charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and having no insurance. He was held in lieu of a $25,000 bond, state police said.