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The incident took place in Hartford County in Manchester around 11:43 p.m., Sunday, July 10 on Interstate 291.
According to state police, Samantha Smith, age 31, of Windsor Locks, was driving the wrong way in a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck on I-291 East when she struck a tractor-trailer head-on near Exit 5.
Smith’s truck came to a stop in the left lane of the highway; and the tractor-trailer, driven by a New Hampshire man, stopped against a concrete barrier, closing two lanes of traffic, state police said.
Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tractor-trailer suffered minor injuries and was taken to Hartford Hospital for evaluation, state police said.
Parts of the highway remained closed for an investigation on Monday, July 11 until about 9 a.m.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or was driving nearby with a dashboard camera in their vehicle is asked to contact Trooper Michael Dean at Troop H at 860-534-1098 or at michael.dean@ct.gov.
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