CT man accused of causing crash on Route 8 that killed father, injured young daughter
A Bridgeport man has been arrested and accused of causing a crash on Route 8 in Trumbull last December that killed a father and injured his young daughter.
Christopher Lazo, 27, turned himself in on Tuesday on charges of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, failure to maintain proper lane on a limited access highway and improper passing/unsafe distance/cutting in, according to Connecticut State Police.
The charges stem from a crash that occurred on Dec. 6, 2023, on Route 8 South shortly before 8:30 p.m., according to the warrant affidavit supporting Lazo's arrest.
An investigation by the state police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad (C.A.R.S.) found that 34-year-old Daniel Demichael of Norwalk was driving a 2004 Jeep Wrangler south in the right lane when his vehicle was struck by a 2021 Toyota Supra being driven by Lazo, who was trying to merge onto Route 8 using the Exit 52 entrance ramp from Route 15 South, the warrant affidavit said. An analysis of the crash found that Lazo made the lane change without ensuring he would not strike the Wrangler, which was also carrying Demichael's 5-year-old daughter in a rear booster seat, according to the warrant affidavit.
The rear portion of the Supra's driver side struck the front passenger side of the Wrangler, causing the Jeep to go into a 'counterclockwise yaw' before it struck a metal beam guardrail in the median, the warrant affidavit said. The Wrangler then rolled over, causing the detachable roof to come off. Demichael was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found that Demichael died of blunt trauma of his head and torso. His death was ruled an accident.
State police said Demichael's daughter suffered minor injuries and was taken to Bridgeport Hospital.
Lazo did not report any injuries but was taken to St. Vincent's Medical Center after suffering a panic attack, the warrant affidavit said.
At the hospital, Lazo agreed to give investigators a statement about what happened during the crash. He said he was headed home from Hartford at the time and that he had put his left turn signal on, noticing that the sensor on his vehicle that alerts him of other motorists in his blind spots was not activated, according to the warrant affidavit.
Before he could change lanes, Lazo said he felt the impact of a crash and saw multiple other drivers pass him, the warrant affidavit. At that time he said he thought he was involved in a hit-and-run.
Lazo said he then pulled over and called his brother, who instructed him to take photos of the damage and contact his insurance company. While he was doing so another driver pulled over and told him that a nearby Wrangler may have been involved in the collision, the warrant affidavit said.
Lazo also told investigators he never saw the Jeep behind or next to him and that he was driving around the speed limit at the time of the crash, the warrant affidavit said. He denied being under the influence of any substances during the collision.
During an inspection of both vehicles following the collision, state police found that the blind spot sensor on Lazo's vehicle signaled an orange triangle on its driver side mirror when other vehicles were around, the warrant affidavit said.
Investigators also found that the receiver on the seatbelt in Demichael's Jeep was defective. During an examination, police said they could not rule out the possibility that Demichael may have inadvertently unlatched his safety belt because of the defect, according to the warrant affidavit.
Following his arrest, Lazo was released on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Dec. 23.
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