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New London County resident Reginald Collins, age 59, of New London, turned himself in to Connecticut State Police on Wednesday, April 24, for the Friday, April 21, 2023, crash on I-95 in Groton.
According to an arrest affidavit, Collins was driving southbound on I-95 South on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge when his steering "felt funny," and the "car began to jump" on his Toyota Avalon. Collins had just purchased used tires for the vehicle.
Shortly after, Collins said he drove across several lanes as he felt the tire let go as it began to shred and come apart, the affidavit said. According to the affidavit and state police, he stopped in the right acceleration lane on the bridge.
Collins and his passenger got out and found the shredded tire, and both got back in the vehicle when a 2001 Kenworth oil tanker struck them, sending the tanker rolling and then bursting into flames, the affidavit said.
The driver, 42-year-old Wallace Fauquet III of Ledyard, was killed, according to state police.
The affidavit said an investigation found that Collins’ vehicle was not insured, and its registration was suspended.
State Police found during the investigation that despite the flat tire, Collins' car could be driven off the roadway and onto the shoulder out of the way of traffic.
“Based on the investigation of the crash, it was found that the cause of this crash was that the operator of the Toyota Avalon created a traffic hazard by remaining stationary within the right acceleration lane and failing to move the vehicle out of the travel lane to a safe location,” the affidavit said.
Collins was charged with:
- Negligent homicide with a motor vehicle
- Improperly parking on a highway
- Operating an unregistered motor vehicle
- Operating without insurance
He was initially held on a $25,000 bond, but a judge released him on a promise to appear.
Fauquet left behind a wife and four children, according to his obituary.
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