WINDSOR, Conn. (WTNH) — Two people from Massachusetts were killed in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 91 North in Windsor early Friday morning.
State police said 25-year-old Dominique Loiselle of Brighton, Mass., was driving the wrong way on I-91 North, south of Exit 38, just after 12:30 a.m. Loiselle was in the center lane, traveling south when she struck another vehicle head-on.
Loiselle and the front seat passenger in her car, 25-year-old James Bowen of East Longmeadow, Mass., were pronounced dead at the scene. I-91 North was closed between Exits 37 and 38 but reopened around 7 a.m. Friday.
The driver of the other vehicle, a 35-year-old man from Leesburg, Fla., was taken to the possible for possible minor injuries.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam video of the crash is asked to contact Trooper Michael Dean at (860) 534-1098 or michael.dean@ct.gov.
Retired lieutenant Stephen Estes said as traffic swells after the pandemic, people are driving faster and more distracted than before, especially in construction zones.
“When I was in West Hartford I got hit by a Connecticut Transit Bus while I was on a road job,” said Estes.
There are also more construction zones than before. Dr. Eric Jackson, the executive director of the transportation institute, said the pandemic created a worker shortage and a backlog of road repairs that are now being funded.
“In 2022 we’ve had already 13 wrong way driving crashes and a lot more fatalities than we’ve ever had due to wrong way driver crashes. Add in more traffic, and those mental health issues, road rage has also spiked.” said Dr. Eric Jackson, Executive Director of the Transporation Insitute.