WOLCOTT -- Wolcott Police released the latest details on a head-on crash that killed an off-duty State Police Trooper.
Investigators say that Trooper Danielle Miller, 27, was speeding, and drunk at the time of the crash.
“The last recorded speed 57 mph, Trooper Miller was going well above the speed limit," said Chief Edward Stephens of the Wolcott Police Department. "Trooper Miller was impaired, her perception reaction time was a result of an elevated blood alcohol content was .24 percent."
Police say the investigation was very thorough, as they took time to investigate every facet of what happened. The crash happened on February 3, and the investigation spanned more than three months.
"We did not want to leave any stone unturned," said Chief Stephens.
Trooper Miller's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit, and police say the driver of the car she hit was not impaired at the time of the crash, and was driving close to the posted speed limit.
“He had nothing to do with this accident," said Chief Stephens. "He was trying to avoid being hit, and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Police say Trooper Miller was off-duty at the time of the crash, and was driving her police cruiser, which is not unusual itself. However, there is a zero tolerance police when it comes to operating a state vehicle under any influence, drug or alcohol.
Police say Trooper Miller's cruiser reached 79 miles per hour less than five seconds before the crash, she then slowed to 57 as she crossed into the lane of oncoming traffic as she approached a sharp curve on Wolcott Road in Wolcott. The posted speed limit there is 40 miles per hour.
“Because Trooper Miller is deceased there aren’t any forthcoming charges,” said Chief Stephens.
First responders had to use the jaws of life to get Trooper Miller out of her completely mangled car, the other driver suffered minor injuries.
“We are all sympathetic for the Connecticut State Police ,and for the victim of the crash because it is traumatic for all that are left here behind," said Lieutenant Bryan Cammarata of the Naugatuck Police Department.
State Police issued a statement on Tfc. Miller's death:
We are saddened by the emerging details of the off-duty accident involving Trooper Danielle Miller on February 3, 2018. The Wolcott Police Department investigation report revealed that Trooper Miller sustained fatal injuries while operating the vehicle at a high speed and under the influence of alcohol. Her car struck an oncoming vehicle. Fortunately, that driver was not seriously injured.
As an agency, we mourn Trooper Miller’s passing. We also maintain a zero tolerance policy with respect to operating a state vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Trooper Miller’s death serves as a painful reminder of the dangers and the devastating consequences of impaired driving. The Connecticut State Police, as are all law enforcement agencies, steadfast in their efforts to reduce the number of alcohol-related incidents along our roadways.
