WALLINGFORD, Conn. — A woman has been arrested and charged after striking and killing Connecticut Department of Transportation worker Andrew DiDomenico with her vehicle on a roadway that connects to Interstate 91 in Wallingford Friday morning, according to state police.
Denise Lucibello, 55, of East Haven, was arrested and charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs, failure to drive in proper lane, failure to slow down/move over – non-emergency vehicle, operating with a suspended license, and misconduct with a motor vehicle. state police said.
According to state statutes, "A person is guilty of misconduct with a motor vehicle when, with criminal negligence in the operation of a motor vehicle, he causes the death of another person." It is a Class D felony.
Lucibello is currently held on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear at New Haven Superior Court on July 1.
State police said DiDomenico, 26, of Meriden was working alongside the right shoulder of the Wharton Brook Connector in an active DOT construction area with several other DOT employees when he was struck by Lucibello in a 2017 Nissan Sentra around 9:15 a.m. on Friday.
While investigating, state troopers discovered that Lucibello was showing signs of impairment. She was subjected to Standardized Field Sobriety Testing and failed before being arrested on-site and transported to Troop I – Bethany to be processed on the charges, according to state police.
State police said DiDomenico sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead on scene. Lucibello was not injured. Troopers said the Exit 13 ramps and on-ramps on I-91 were closed for several hours as the investigation occurred.
Lucibello has previous convictions for burglary, operating with a suspended license,. In 2018 she was convicted of possession with intent to sell; North Branford police said she was dealing drugs out of the deli where she worked.
Following the crash, Gov. Ned Lamont weighed in, calling it a heartbreaking tragedy that never should have happened.
“I am both outraged in saddened. I implore everyone getting behind the wheel to be fully alert and pay attention to what is happening on the road around them at all times,” Lamont said in a release. “Show some respect for the workers on our interstates and roadways by following the speed limit and reducing your speed whenever you’re near work zones. My prayers are with Andrew’s family, friends and his fellow state employees at the Connecticut Department of Transportation during this devastating time.”
In the release, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said her heart breaks for the DiDomenico family and that she is keeping them in his thoughts.
“This is a young life taken far too soon because of someone else’s carelessness. We can all do more to make certain that each and every one of his is safer on our roadways,” Bysiewicz said.
While the date has yet to be determined, Lamont will order flags to be lowered to half-staff on the day of DiDomenico’s funeral.
In a release, Comptroller Sean Scanlon pointed out that another Connecticut public servant has lost his life this month while trying to keep the state’s roads safe, following the death of Jose Diaz-Nieves, 54, a construction worker who was killed on June 12 after being struck by a car while working on a construction site in Hartford.
Also, less than a month ago, State Trooper First Class Aaron Pellitier, 34, was fatally struck by a vehicle on Interstate 84 in Southington after pulling over another vehicle. State police said the man that hit Pellitier was also driving under the influence.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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