Woman Critically Injured In Motorcycle Crash, Operator Charged With DUI: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — A female passenger was critically injured in a motorcycle crash Saturday night in Meriden, and the operator has been charged with DUI, according to police.

Police received several 911 calls around 8 p.m. regarding a motorcycle crash on Chamberlain Highway near the Target department store, according to Sgt. Stanley Zajac.

Officers found a 2004 Kawasaki motorcycle on its side on Chamberlain Highway at the entrance ramp of I-691. A female victim was found in the roadway unresponsive with serious head injuries, according to Zajac.

An investigation found that the motorcycle operator, identified as 22-year-old Edwin Gutierrez of Meriden, was traveling south on Chamberlain Highway from New Britain.

“Gutierrez, who was wearing a helmet, lost control of his motorcycle in the area of Target Department Store,” Zajac wrote in a news release. “A female passenger was ejected and not wearing a helmet. The female passenger was treated at the scene by Hunters Ambulance and Meriden Fire Department.”

She was taken to MidState Medical Center and flown to Hartford Hospital where she was listed in critical condition, according to Zajac.

Gutierrez is accused of operating under the influence of alcohol, according to Zajac.

Gutierrez was arrested and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol and or drugs and operating with a suspended driver’s license. Gutierrez was held in lieu of a $100,000 bond with more charges expected to be filed, according to Zajac.

Any witnesses to the crash, or who may have seen the motorcycle traveling south on Chamberlain Highway, are asked to contact the Meriden Police Department at 203-630-6201.