DOT Truck Hit At Work Zone, Driver Found At Willington Store: Police

WILLINGTON, CT — A suspected drunken driver in a commercial vehicle that hit a state truck at a highway work zone in Tolland was later tracked down at a business in Willington, state police said.

The crash took place at 10:37 a.m. on June 28, state police said.

That day, a Connecticut Department of Transportation truck was moving slowly on the eastbound side of Interstate 84 between Exits 68 and 69 as construction crews were closing the left lane to perform maintenance on the center median, according to a crash report.

A box truck with a Massachusetts registration came onto the scene and failed to move over for the crew and hit the DOT truck on its passenger side, according to a crash report. The DOT driver, a 52-year-old Coventry man, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Rockville General Hospital, state police said.

According to a crash report, the box truck continued on the highway and was eventually tracked down in the parking lot of the Dollar General store at 22 Tolland Turnpike in Willington. The driver, identified as 42-year-old Eric Allen, then failed field sobriety tests and was taken into custody. He was charged with driving under the influence, evading responsibility, possession of a controlled substance (third offense) and a lane violation, state police said.