5 days ago
CT state police charge 19-year-old in three-car crash that seriously injured herself, truck driver
A teenager was arrested this week in connection with a three-vehicle crash in June 2024 on Route 2 in Preston that seriously injured her as well another driver and left a third person with minor injuries.
Daniechka Garcia-Martinez, 19, of Norwich turned herself in after troopers obtained a warrant for her arrest following an investigation that reportedly found she was at fault for the serious crash, according to Connecticut State Police.
She faces charges of second-degree assault, reckless driving, failure to drive in proper lane and operating a motor vehicle without a license.
According to the warrant affidavit, emergency crews responded to reports of the crash on June 28, 2024, around 2 p.m. Garcia-Martinez, who was driving a 2008 Honda Accord west in the right lane, crossed the fog line in the right shoulder, leading to one of her passenger side tires striking a curb, the warrant affidavit said. The vehicle then veered back across the right lane and to the left, striking a 1989 International S Series 1754 truck that was headed west in the left lane and began to move into the right lane, state police wrote.
The Honda then spun out of control in front of the truck. A 2023 Ford Bronco being driven east then collided with the driver side of the Honda, the warrant affidavit said. The Honda then settled along a metal cable guardrail.
The truck that had been struck was now partially in the eastbound lane where it struck the rear driver side of the Bronco, the warrant affidavit said. The truck then left the road out of control and struck multiple trees.
According to the warrant affidavit, the truck driver and Garcia-Martinez were trapped in their vehicles after the collision. They each suffered serious injuries and were taken to a hospital.
The driver of the Ford suffered minor injuries, state police wrote in the warrant affidavit.
The investigation found that Garcia-Martinez did not have a license to drive and was operating by herself with only a permit, the warrant affidavit said. State police investigators said she was going faster than the truck when she passed it on the right and left the road, where she hit a curb, causing her to lose control of the Accord, according to the warrant affidavit.
Garcia-Martinez is free on a $30,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Norwich Superior Court on July 22.
