Naugatuck Woman, 76, Charged With Negligent Homicide: Police

NAUGATUCK, CT — A Naugatuck woman was arrested this week in connection to a fatal motorcycle crash reported on New Haven Road back in June.

In a news release posted to Facebook, police said Carol Debernardis, 76, of Naugatuck, was arrested Monday on a warrant. She was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and held on $75,000 bond pending her appearance in court.

According to police, Debernardis crossed the center line of New Haven Road on June 16 and collided with three different motorcycles.

One of the motorcyclists, 22-year-old Travis Machnics-Larowe, was pronounced dead from his injuries shortly after the crash, according to police. The other two motorcyclists were injured, one of which sustained severe and life-threatening injuries.

After the crash, police began an investigation involving post-collision mechanical inspections, a technical reconstruction and operator background investigations.

The investigation was completed by the Naugatuck Valley Collision Investigation Team, which consists of officers from the towns of Cheshire, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Plymouth, Watertown and Wolcott. Elvis Vasquez, a Naugatuck police officer, was the lead investigator, police said.