Man Charged After Wrong-Way Crash On I-84 In East Hartford: Police

EAST HARTFORD, CT — State police have accused a Waterbury man of driving the wrong way on Interstate 84 in East Hartford Wednesday night while drunk, causing a three-vehicle accident in the process.

According to state police, Wilmer Vizcaino, 29, of Waterbury, was charged Wednesday with operating a motor under the influence of alcohol/drugs; evading responsibility for injury; driving the wrong way on the divided highway; operating without minimum insurance; operating an unregistered motor vehicle; operating without a license; misuse of registration plate; reckless driving; failure to wear a seat belt; first-degree reckless endangerment; and interfering with an officer/resisting arrest.

Vizcaino was held on $50,000 bond and transferred to the custody of Hartford Correctional Center. He is scheduled to appear at Hartford Superior Court Oct. 17.

State police said at approximately 9:02 p.m. Wednesday, Troop H in Hartford officers were dispatched to the I-84 eastbound Exit 56 at the offramp in East Hartford for a reported wrong-way motor vehicle accident.

Police said the wrong-way detection system there was activated just one minute prior to the accident itself at 9:01 p.m.

Upon arrival on the scene, troopers determined the accident involved three vehicles, one of which was facing the wrong way, police said.

Police said the vehicle facing the wrong direction had collided head-on with another vehicle taking the exit ramp, which subsequently caused a side-swipe collision with a third vehicle on the ramp immediately following the initial collision.

One of the motorists, police said, sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment.

The operator of the sideswiped vehicle reported no injuries and Vizcaino reportedly fled the scene on foot, police said.

The East Hartford Police Department was contacted for assistance to establish a perimeter off the highway and a state police K-9 unit responded to track down the suspect, police said.

Police said Vizcaino was located a short time later by the police dog in the woods amongst tall grass next to the exit ramp where the accident occurred.

The evading operator was identified as Vizcaino.

Police said a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was observed to be emanating from Vizcaino's and he was also observed to have visible injuries consistent with the collision.

Vizcaino's injuries were also consistent with no seatbelt use, police said.

He was evaluated by EMS personnel on scene and declined further treatment.

Ultimately, Vizcaino was taken into custody and transported to Troop H for processing.

For the Connecticut State Police news page, click on this link.