A man was arrested Monday in connection with a fatal crash last November on Interstate 84 in East Hartford where he struck a box truck before spinning out of control and colliding with a tractor-trailer, leading to the death of a passenger in his vehicle.
Jeremy Ramos, 22, of New York turned himself in at Troop H in Hartford on charges of speeding, operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane, second-degree manslaughter and first-degree reckless endangerment, according to Connecticut State Police.
The charges stem from a crash on I-84 West in the area of Exit 56 on Nov. 16, 2023, at 5:45 p.m., state police said.
Ramos was driving a Honda Accord heading west in the center of five lanes behind a box truck and a tractor-trailer when the Honda struck the rear of the box truck, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. Both the box truck and the tractor-trailer were slowing for traffic in front of them and eventually stopped.
After striking the box truck, the Honda then spun out of control and veered across multiple lanes before striking the rear of a tractor-trailer, according to the warrant affidavit.
A passenger in Ramos’ vehicle, 18-year-old Yomar Berrios of East Hartford, was rushed to Hartford Hospital where he was pronounced dead, the warrant affidavit said.
The occupants of the box truck and the tractor-trailer did not report any injuries. Ramos suffered minor injuries, the warrant affidavit said.
When state police spoke to the driver of the box truck he said the traffic on the highway was heavy and that he stopped for the vehicles in front of him when he suddenly felt an impact on the rear of the truck, the warrant affidavit said. He claimed that the driver was going at a “high rate of speed” and tried avoiding the collision by swerving to the left.
The man said the vehicle then spun out of control and struck a tractor-trailer, the warrant affidavit said.
The driver of the tractor-trailer told authorities he heard tires screeching and saw a vehicle spinning out of control before it struck his vehicle, according to the warrant affidavit. Both truck drivers said the driver of the Honda got out of the vehicle and dragged the passenger out, the warrant affidavit said.
When state police interviewed Ramos about the crash he claimed he and Berrios were headed to a friend’s house in Hartford when the driver of an Audi cut in front of him, according to the warrant affidavit. Angered by this, he said he got right behind the Audi until he noticed its brake lights went on as the driver swerved to the right behind a truck that was stopped, the warrant affidavit said.
Ramos said he tried swerving to the left but he could not avoid the collision. He said he administered CPR to Berrios after the crash.
An autopsy performed on Berrios by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner found that he died of blunt impact injuries to his head, neck and torso, the warrant affidavit said. His death was ruled an accident.
An analysis of the crash conducted by the state police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Squad (C.A.R.S.) found that Ramos was going more than 76 mph as he was driving, the warrant affidavit said. The cause of the crash was determined to be Ramos’ inability to stay in the proper lane or maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front of him, state police wrote.
State police wrote in the warrant affidavit that Ramos “failed to recognize the hazard in front of him,” apply the brakes or “take the appropriate evasive action.” A contributing factor was Ramos’ “reckless and unsafe” driving, according to the warrant affidavit.
Following his arrest, Ramos posted a $250,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in Manchester Superior Court on Jan. 2, 2025.