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The incident occurred on I-95 southbound in Greenwich around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, near Exit 5.
According to Connecticut State Police, troopers and Greenwich Police responded to the crash and found that it had occurred during a fight inside the car between the driver, Vilhomme Mondesir, age 47, of Fort Worth, Florida.
The two passengers explained that they were all coworkers. They said an argument began when Mondesir stopped at a shopping plaza after driving for several hours.
According to the passengers, Mondesir left the vehicle briefly to purchase food and quickly returned, planning to leave immediately and continue driving. State police said.
When they asked Mondesir for additional time to take a break, the passengers allegedly began yelling that they did not need breaks and immediately started driving, entering I-95 southbound.
As Mondesir was driving, the passengers said that they told him that denying them breaks could cause him to lose his job.
Mondesir allegedly continued yelling and hit one of the passengers in the face, and an altercation began inside the vehicle as the second passenger attempted to intervene, state police said.
While the altercation occurred, the vehicle swerved from the right lane into the right shoulder before striking a metal beam guardrail and traveling down an embankment.
Troopers said the passenger allegedly struck by Mondesir had visible injuries to his face. The second passenger and Mondesir reported minor injuries.
Mondesir was taken into custody and charged with:
- Assault
- Reckless endangerment (2 counts)
- Failure to maintain lane
Mondesir was held on a $5,000 cash/surety bond and transferred to the custody of the CT Department of Correction pending his scheduled arraignment at Stamford Superior Court on Monday, May 13.
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