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Constantino Quispe, 76, and Luzmila Medina Quispe, 75, both of Methuen, were in the backseat of a 2009 Honda Fit hatchback traveling on I-495 north, south of Exit 99, when a 2014 Ford Edge sedan crashed behind them, Massachusetts State Police said.
The hatchback was pushed across the breakdown lane and hit a guardrail.
Jaymee K. Miller, 32, of Lawrence, later identified as the sedan's driver didn’t stop and continued northbound on I-495, police said.
Constantino and Luzmila were airlifted to trauma centers at Boston hospitals.
Luzmila died from her injuries, according to state police. A GoFundMe created in her honor and to help the Quispe family with expenses has reached nearly $2,000 of its $50,000 goal, as of Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 2.
A 22-year-old woman who was driving the hatchback and a 53-year-old woman in the front passenger seat with the elderly couple were also taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Miller was arrested by state police after failing several sobriety tests at a Gulf gas station on Route 114 in Lawrence, authorities said.
She is charged with:
- Operating under the influence (OUI) of liquor
- Leaving the scene of a crash causing personal injury
- Leaving the scene of a crash causing property damage
Charges against Miller may be upgraded following the death of Luzmila.
Her driver’s license has been suspended and seized after she refused to do a chemical breath test.
Miller is being held at the Suffolk County House of Correction until she appears in Lawrence District Court.
Her bail is set at $20,000, authorities said.
State police, along with the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, are investigating the crash.
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