Wilton Man Charged In Crash That Killed Library Employee: Norwalk PD

WILTON, CT — A Wilton man was arrested Sunday on manslaughter and other charges connected to a crash last month that killed a longtime Norwalk library employee, according to Norwalk police.

Police Lt. Tomasz Podgorski said in a news release that James O'Byrne, 36, of Wilton, was charged with second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless driving, evading responsibility, operation of a motor vehicle under suspension, failure to insure motor vehicle and operation of an unregistered motor vehicle.

According to Podgorski, the arrest was made following a crash around 6 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the intersection of East Rocks Road and Bayne Street.

Officers were called to the area that day and found a motorcycle had been struck by an evading vehicle. The driver and passenger of the motorcycle were taken to Norwalk Hospital with significant injuries, Podgorski said.

The passenger, longtime Norwalk Public Library employee Dawn Kravarik, 59, of Norwalk, was pronounced dead at the hospital, Podgorski said.

Detectives and officers with the Norwalk Police Crash Reconstruction Unit later interviewed victims and witnesses, collected evidence and executed search warrants to identify the driver of the evading vehicle, Podgorski said.

As a result of their investigation, an arrest warrant was issued for O'Byrne, who police identified as the driver of the evading vehicle. His bond was set at $1 million and he is scheduled to appear in court later this month, according to Podgorski.

Following the crash, Mayor Harry Rilling said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of Kravarik's passing and noted she had served as an accounting clerk for the Norwalk Public Library for 36 years.

"Dawn was known as a compassionate and kind employee who always put her community first through her decades of service to the library," Rilling said in a news release. "This great loss is felt throughout our library, City Hall and entire community. I'm sending my deepest condolences to her family and friends during this difficult time."

Director of Norwalk Public Library Sherelle Harris said Kravarik was a staple of the city's library and offered her condolences to Kravarik's family.

"[Thirty-six] years is a long time to be with an organization and Dawn was a Norwalk Public Library staple," Harris said in a news release. "The Norwalk Public Library family is still coming to terms with this great loss. My heart goes out to all of her family as they mourn the loss of an incredible individual."

According to her obituary, Kravarik was a lifelong Norwalk resident who enjoyed spending time with family and friends, traveling to the mountains, motorcycling with her husband and friends and nurturing her vast indoor garden.

Additionally, her family was the absolute center of her world and she cherished every moment with them.