Woman killed in crash with state police trooper

CHAPLIN — A woman was killed Wednesday evening after she collided head-on with a pickup truck driven by a Connecticut State Police trooper on Route 6, an accident report shows.

The driver, identified as 33-year-old North Windham resident Lindsey A. Bidwell, was flown to Hartford Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, according to an accident information summary released by the state police.

The report identified the driver of the pickup truck as 37-year-old Craig Brezniak, who has been a trooper since 2014, said Sgt. Christine Jeltima, a spokesperson for the agency.

He suffered minor injuries after the crash caused the truck to roll over on its side, the report stated.

The summary lists his address as the state police headquarters in Middletown, and the Ford F-350 was registered to the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the agency that oversees the state police.

Jeltima said Thursday that Brezniak was on duty while assigned to a “specialized unit” at the time of the crash. She declined to comment on the nature of the specialized unit.

The accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when Bidwell was driving west on Route 6 in her 2017 Nissan Maxima, heading toward the Nyberg Road intersection, according to the report.

“While attempting to negotiate a right curve in the roadway, the Nissan Maxima crossed over the double yellow center line and entered into the opposing eastbound lanes,” the report stated.

The Nissan collided with the F-350 driven by Brezniak in the right lane, according to the report. The crash was offset, according to the summary, meaning the driver’s side of both vehicles collided head on.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or the moments leading to it can contact Sgt. Mark DiCocco at mark.dicocco@ct.gov.