Drunk Driver Caused Wrong-Way I-84 Crash In West Hartford That Killed Woman, Toddler: Police

The Hartford County wreck happened on I-84 in West Hartford, near Exit 44, at around 8 pm on Sept. 6, 2023.

Connecticut State Police said Michelle Miller, of Wolcott in New Haven County, was driving a Volkswagen Jetta sedan westbound on I-84 when she lost control and drove into the grassy median.

After crossing the median, she went up an embankment and into the eastbound lanes where she struck an oncoming Subaru Impreza sedan.

The impact killed both occupants of the Subaru, 26-year-old Natalia Dudzinski and her 2-year-old godson, Connecticut Post reports. Miller’s dog was found dead in the roadway.

Miller was taken to Hartford Hospital with minor injuries. In an interview with troopers, she confessed to drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana prior to the crash, police said.

Toxicology testing later revealed that she allegedly had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.17 percent, more than twice the legal limit to drive. It also showed the presence of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, police said.

Miller surrendered at the Connecticut State Police facility in Hartford on Wednesday, July 10.

She is facing nearly a dozen criminal charges, including two counts of manslaughter, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and cruelty to animals.

She was jailed on a $750,000 bond.

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