ID Of Truck Driver Killed In I-95 Milford Crash Released: UPDATE

MILFORD, CT — Milford firefighters rushed to the scene of a horrific tractor-trailer accident on Interstate 95 early Friday to find the truck off the side of the road in the woods and the driver pinned inside.

"The extrication was complicated by having to remove trees and brush as well as having to deal with spilled diesel fuel and a nearby stream," said Fire Battalion Chief Anthony Fabrizi. "Fire Department Paramedics provided advanced life support to the patient during the extrication process. Despite the extraordinary efforts by the fire department the driver ultimately succumbed to his injuries."

The driver of the tractor trailer, who has been identified as Jean C. Fabre-benoit, 57, of Scott Road in Prospect, was carrying bottled water at the time of the accident, which occurred on the southbound side of I-95 between the rest stop and Exit 40 at 6:35 a.m. The highway is now fully reopened as of 4:30 p.m.

State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection crews and the DEEP commissioner were also on scene due to hazardous fluids that leaked out of the truck.

State Police say the driver was hauling a 53-foot cargo trailer full of bottled water and he was traveling in the right in the area of the Quarry Road overpass. The driver traveled off the right side shoulder crashing into the metal beam guard rail. The trailer then traveled back to the left, into the center lane before again drifting right, across the right lane and shoulder, then onto the grass, State Police said.

Fabre-benoit then traveled down the embankment striking numerous trees, which resulted in the tractor-trailer jack-knifing and partially overturning. The trailer broke apart resulting in a significant portion of the trailer's load spilling.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the accident is urged to call State Police at 203-696-2500. Reference case number 1900016756.

Image via Milford Fire Department