A woman from Lisbon turned herself into state police on Wednesday and was charged in connection to a deadly crash that happened near a construction zone on Interstate 395 in Norwich last July.
State police said 28-year-old Kristi Vincent turned herself into Troop E in Montville around 8:30 a.m. for an active arrest warrant.
The charges stem from a three-vehicle crash on I-395 South between exits 14 and 18 on July 31, 2023, around 12:15 p.m. At the time of the crash, investigators said there was traffic congestion that was caused by a highway construction project and the left lane was closed ahead.
According to state police, a Nissan Sentra XE hit the back of a Nissan Sentra S. Vincent was driving a Nissan Rogue and then collided with the back of the Nissan Sentra XE.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
After the collisions, state police said Vincent's right passenger side hit the Nissan Sentra XE's front right corner and caused the Nissan Sentra XE to rebound slightly.
The front of the Nissan Sentra XE and the back of Vincent's vehicle sustained significant damage. State police said the back of the Nissan Sentra XE was crushed forward to nearly touch the first row seating.
State police said 44-year-old Jason Osga was driving the Nissan Sentra XE and experienced a significant brain injury in the crash. He was taken to Backus Hospital. During transport, Jason Osga reportedly went into cardiac arrest, was resuscitated and was transported to Hartford Hospital for additional care. Investigators said he did not regain consciousness after being resuscitated and died on August 8.
Local
The arrest warrant said a passenger in the Sentra XE, identified by state police as 89-year-old Richard Osga was also taken to the hospital. Following the crash, he reportedly required constant supervision and had increasingly severe cognitive decline. On February 19, 2024, Richard Osga was pronounced dead.
Vincent told a trooper at the scene that before the crash, she had looked into the back seat to try to help her baby who was screaming in the car seat, looked back to the road and could not stop before crashing into the Nissan Sentra XE, the arrest warrant states.
"If a person involved in the accident dies within thirty days of the incident then the accused may be charged relative to that person's death. Beyond that, however, would fall within charges relative to serious injuries, state police said.
State police records show Vincent is facing multiple charges including manslaughter, assault, endangering highway workers, reckless driving, following too closely with an accident zone and failure to slow or move over for emergency vehicles.
She was released from custody on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court in Norwich on August 8.
