MERIDEN -- A Meriden teenager has died after being thrown from a vehicle in a crash on Monday. The car was being driven by his allegedly drunk foster father.
On Friday Meriden Police said that 17-year-old Alex Medina, a student at Maloney High School, died at Hartford Hospital Thursday night. Police said that school officials had been notified of the death. "The Meriden Police Department would like to express our deepest sympathies to Alex's family and friends", said the release.
The accident is still under investigation, but police believe 63-year-old James Bailey was driving drunk on North Wall Street at 11 a.m. Monday with 73-year-old Joel Young in the front seat, and his 17-yea- old foster son in the backseat, without a seat belt.
Bailey is charged with DUI, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, and assault with a motor vehicle. He is free after posting $200,000 bond. Police said on Friday that he will face additional charges when he appears in court on October 15, 2019.
Police say Bailey was speeding in his Nissan Pathfinder when he hit and snapped a utility pole. The vehicle continued down the road, sideswiping another power pole. Medina was ejected. Adam Curtis and his wife ran to help.
“You could tell that he was in rough shape. He was really kind of non-responsive. My wife and another gentleman were by him telling him that EMS was on their way,” Adam Curtis said.
In Connecticut, a passenger age 16 or older is not required to wear a seat belt in the back seat.
The Department of Children and Families is also investigating the accident.