Guilford Woman Killed In I-95 Crash In Old Lyme

OLD LYME, CT — Connecticut State Police have released the identities of the two women who were killed Wednesday afternoon in a multi-vehicle crash that shut down a portion of I-95 Northbound in Old Lyme.

Eleanor McCarthy, 71, of Guilford, and her passenger, Iris Cooper, 70, of Ambler, Penn., died from injuries suffered when the Ford Mustang McCarthy was driving was rear-ended by a dump truck driven by 47-year-old Gregory Kuzma, of Bristol.

"Tire marks at the scene indicate that [the dump truck] was braking heavily and was unable to stop prior to colliding with the rear of [the Mustang]," wrote state police in a statement.

McCarthy had been stopped in traffic behind a tractor trailer truck, driven by Francis Cosenza, 58, of East Haven. After the Mustang was struck by the dump truck, it spun around, slammed into the tractor trailer and burst into flames, according to state police.

Cosenza, Kuzma and Kuzma's passenger, Antonio Felix, 60, of Hartford, were not injured in the crash, which occurred just before 2 p.m.

State Police closed the northbound side of I-95 between exits 70 and 71 for more than seven hours Wednesday while investigating and clearing the scene. (To sign up for free, local breaking news alerts from more than 100 Connecticut Patch communities click here.)

The crash remains under investigation, and anyone with any information about it is asked to contact Trooper First Class Christopher Reid #829 at Troop F in Westbrook at 860-399-2100.

Image via Shutterstock