New London Man Charged In Fatal, Fiery Gold Star Bridge Crash: Police

NEW LONDON, CT — A man has been charged with negligent homicide in connection to a fiery, fatal crash with a truck carrying home heating oil on the Gold Star Bridge on I-95 last year, according to police.

Reginald Collins, of New London, was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, and improper highway use. He turned himself in to state police Wednesday.

A Stonington man, Wallace Joseph Fauquet III, 42, was killed in the two-vehicle crash last April. Two others were injured in the accident that closed the bridge for hours in both directions.

The crash occurred when Collins, in a 2006 Toyota Avalon, was driving on Interstate 95 south in the right lane and had a tire failure. The car then crossed several lanes and in front of a tanker truck carrying home heating oil, which struck the back of the car and led to the truck rolling over and bursting into flames.

The truck's driver, Fauquet, was killed in the crash. The fire engulfed the immediate area to include both vehicles and portions of the Gold Star Bridge, state police said.

A total of 2,200 gallons of fuel spilled out after the crash.

An arrest warrant described the following as the cause of the crash: "Based on the investigation of the crash, it was found that the cause of the crash was that the operator of the Toyota Avalon created a traffic hazard by remaining stationary within the right acceleration lane and failing to move the vehicle out of the travel lane to a safe location."

The warrant goes on to state that Collins "did act with criminal negligence" as he put the car in park in the right lane of travel while on the Gold Star Bridge.

Collins' bond was set at $25,000. He was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.

See related: ID Released Of Driver Killed In In Fiery Crash On Gold Star Bridge: UPDATE