A 26-year-old Bloomfield woman identified as Jada Marie Upshaw was killed in a fiery, three-car crash on Interstate 91 in Rocky Hill Friday night, and the driver of the car that started the chain-reaction wreck is facing charges, police say.
Jacob Daniel Texidor, 23, of Ellington is charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs in connection with the crash, which occurred on I-91 south near Exit 23 around 8:48 p.m. Friday, police said.
According to police, Texidor’s 2011 BMW 328xi was traveling in the left of four lanes when it veered into the left-center lane “for an unknown reason” and crashed into Upshaw’s 2017 Nissan Versa S, causing both cars to roll over.
The Nissan, which also was carrying a 29-year-old Bridgeport man, then crossed into the highway’s right lane and collided with a 2020 GMC Terrain SLT, police said.
The three vehicles each were separated by about 200 feet after coming to a rest, and one of them was “fully” on fire, the Rocky Hill Fire Department said in a news release.
Crews extinguished the blaze and left the scene after about 90 minutes, the department said.
Jada Marie Upshaw suffered life-threatening injuries and was ruled dead at a local hospital, police said.
Texidor, the Nissan’s passenger and the driver and passenger in the GMC, both of North Haven, all suffered minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals for treatment, police added.
Texidor was arrested and charged following the crash and taken to Troop H for processing, according to police.
He was released on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at Superior Court in New Britain Oct. 25, police said.
The crash shut down I-91 south for several hours Friday night.
Police said they had cleared the scene by about 3:48 a.m., but the state Department of Transportation remained there to make emergency repairs.
Police said they did not know what time DOT reopened lanes that had been closed for the repairs.
