Connecticut Driver Involved in Fatal Accident after Consuming Alcohol at Mohegan Sun Casino
A driver, Derion Coker, who stands accused of taking lives on a Connecticut highway last September, allegedly consumed several drinks at the Mohegan Sun gaming property prior to the fatal collision. The 29-year-old from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was arrested on Friday for the tragic incident that occurred on September 16, and charged with operating under the influence, alongside two counts of second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle.
Coker will appear in Norwich Superior Court on June 13, following the setting of his bail at $200K.
Drinking Spree
While at the Connecticut casino, Coker attended a comedy show and drunk roughly three shots of hard alcohol and two beers within the hours leading up to the 11:24 p.m. accident in Montville, Conn., as per the Connecticut State Police investigation.
In a text sent to an acquaintance, Coker mentioned being "lit" and expressed concerns about focusing to make it home safely, according to Connecticut TV station WVIT.
State police reported that surveillance footage showed Coker's Volkswagen Passat moving erratically as he drove in the casino garage prior to leaving.
Highway Collision
Leaving the casino garage, Coker drove north on Route 395. Ahead on the same highway, 17-year-old Tyshon Ozzie Harper and his mother, Jamie Krajewski, 33, had stopped their Buick to assist a stranded motorist whose Lexus was disabled by the side of the road.
Coker's car veered onto the right shoulder and struck both the Lexus and the Buick, then smashed into 50 feet of guardrail. Both Harper and Krajewski sustained critical injuries and passed away at the accident site.
Coker, the driver of the Lexus, Jeremiah T. Rodriguez, and a passenger in the Lexus, Chelsey Santiago, suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Following the incident, troopers seized suspected marijuana from the Volkswagen, as reported by WVIT.
Lives Cherished
Harper was in his final year at Norwich Free Academy, a local high school, at the time of his death. He was the eldest of Krajewski's five children, and went by the nickname "Chubby." The obituary revealed his passions for football, basketball, volleyball, fishing, and riding dirt bikes.
Krajewski served as an activity coordinator at Connecticut's Elmbrook Village, a retirement community, and was a devoted fan of her son's football team.
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