CT man with alleged BAC nearly three times limit charged with manslaughter in wrong-way crash
Troy Bree, 58, of Groton was charged Tuesday with driving the wrong way on a limited access highway, second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, misconduct with a motor vehicle and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to Connecticut State Police.
The charges stem from a crash on Oct. 9, 2024, that killed 47-year-old Mark Palumbo Jr. of Madison, said the arrest warrant affidavit.
Troopers shortly after 8 p.m. responded to the report of a two-car collision involving a wrong-way driver on I-95 South between Exits 66 and 65, state police said.
According to state police, Palumbo was driving a 2014 Mustang GT south when he was struck by a 2017 Cadillac ATS that was being driven the wrong way by Bree. Palumbo, the only person in the Mustang, was found unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers found Bree in the Cadillac, which sustained damage to the driver side front end and was up against a concrete median barrier, preventing him from getting out through that door, according to the warrant affidavit. He was conscious and alert with the passenger door open.
According to the warrant affidavit, Bree allegedly told police he was coming home from a restaurant in Essex and that he got on the highway at Exit 9, which state police noted is not in the area and is in Stamford. He told a trooper he had three mixed Vodka drinks before getting behind the wheel and that he was taking cold medicine for a sinus infection, the warrant affidavit said. A trooper alleged that Bree's speech was slow and slurred and his eyes were glossy and bloodshot.
State troopers had Bree take multiple field sobriety tests and alleged that he was unable to perform the walk and turn test and the one leg stand, the warrant affidavit said. He was charged at the time with operating under the influence and reckless driving.
Bree complained of arm pain and was taken to an area hospital, where state police said he declined to provide a urine sample or undergo a drug evaluation, according to the warrant affidavit.
A witness to the crash told troopers he spotted a wrong-way driver on the highway and honked his horn as he passed him, the warrant affidavit said. The man said he then saw in his rearview mirror multiple motorists swerve out of the way to avoid a collision before the driver collided head-on with another vehicle. The vehicle that was struck spun and was sent into a tractor-trailer, the witness told police.
During the investigation, state police obtained video surveillance from the restaurant where Bree said he had dinner. He was allegedly seen at the bar with several other people consuming five drinks, the warrant affidavit said. Investigators were also able to obtain a copy of Bree's receipt, which showed he purchased a total of 13 alcoholic beverages, according to the warrant affidavit.
Bree declined to give investigators a sworn statement about the 24 hours leading up to the crash without his lawyer, the warrant affidavit said. Bree and the attorney never followed up to give a statement, state police wrote.
Investigators on Oct. 15 obtained a search and seizure warrant for Bree's medical records, including a blood sample that was taken, which reportedly showed that his blood alcohol content was 0.22, according to the warrant affidavit. The legal limit to drive in Connecticut is 0.08.
An analysis of the crash found that Palumbo was driving somewhere between 56 and 66 mph when it collided with Bree's Cadillac, which investigators believe was going between 47 and 59 mph at the time of impact, according to the warrant affidavit. The analysis found that Palumbo steered to the right and hit his brakes to try to avoid the collision. Bree, state police wrote, hit his brakes just before the collision, the warrant affidavit said.
An autopsy showed that Palumbo died of blunt impact injuries to his head, neck, torso and extremities. The death was ruled an accident.
According to state police, Bree was held on a $1 million bond following his arrest on the new charges and was expected to appear later in the day in Superior Court in Middletown.
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