MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — The conversation and concern surrounding wrong-way drivers have grown within the last 24 hours after Rep. Quentin Williams was tragically hit head-on by a Manchester woman on Route 9 in Cromwell early Thursday morning.
Middletown community members said this is a tragedy they will be sitting with for quite some time and when something like this happens, it hits extra hard since Williams was a staple in Middletown.
"His smile was like you know, I see you, I’m glad to see you," said Jennifer Alexander, chairwoman of the Downtown Business District.
Alexander said his positive personality easily rubbed off on others. His zeal for politics and community service extended beyond the State Capitol and touched the hearts of Middletown locals.
"People keep saying Quentin taught me how to fix my credit or how to use a credit card, Quentin helped me get involved in politics," added Alexander.
Williams took his expertise to the classrooms and taught leadership courses at the University of Hartford in 2019.
"We get evaluations from students every semester and they consistently talked about how much fun they had in the conversations that would happen in class, how enthusiastic he was," said Dr. Katharine Owens, director of University Interdisciplinary Studies.
His enthusiasm was cut short when he lost his life early Thursday morning. Police said Kimede Mustafaj, 27, of Manchester went the wrong way on Route 9 in Cromwell and also killed herself.
According to the Department of Transportation, 2022 was the deadliest for wrong-way crashes which resulted in a total of 22 fatalities.
State police said this year is not off to a good start either. So far, they have responded to ten wrong-way driver incidents in a six-day period.
"A lot of the ones from last year, they’re still under investigation. We know a couple that have been closed have been related to alcohol and/or drugs," said Sgt. Christine Jeltema with CT State Police.
To combat this dangerous trend, DOT will install additional wrong-way detection systems which will flash red if a driver is going the wrong way.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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