Police have charged a man in connection with a motorcycle crash on an exit ramp on Interstate 91 in Windsor last August that killed the woman riding on the back of the bike.
Randy Carrero, 33, of Manchester turned himself in on Tuesday on charges of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, speeding and failure to maintain the proper lane, according to Connecticut State Police.
The charges stem from a crash on Aug. 31, 2024, around 5 p.m. on the I-91 South Exit 35A off-ramp in Windsor. The collision led to the death of 20-year-old Valerie Eaton of East Hartford, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
When troopers responded to reports of the crash they found Eaton lying in the left shoulder and Carrero lying in the right shoulder of the off-ramp, the warrant affidavit said. The Yamaha motorcycle they were on was lodged underneath a guardrail.
Eaton had suffered injuries described as “not compatible with life,” state police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the warrant affidavit, an autopsy later found Eaton died of blunt impact injury of her head, neck, torso and extremities. A toxicology report came back clean. The death was ruled an accident, state police wrote in the warrant affidavit.
At the scene, state police said Carrero — who had been driving the motorcycle — was conscious and alert and was allegedly screaming before he was taken to a hospital, the warrant affidavit said. He was listed in stable condition.
Troopers spoke to five witnesses who were on the highway at the time of the crash. Each of them alleged that the operator of the motorcycle was driving recklessly prior to the collision, the warrant affidavit said.
One driver claimed that the motorcycle passed them on the ramp to Interstate 291 using the right shoulder, according to the warrant affidavit. When Carrero attempted to merge back into the lane and negotiate a curve in the road he lost control, the witness said.
Carrero, the witness told police, fell off the bike and slid into the right shoulder, according to the warrant affidavit. Eaton, who was riding on the back, held onto the bike as it veered to the left and struck a guardrail, the warrant affidavit said.
Two drivers who were in the area alleged that the motorcycle reached speeds around 100 mph prior to the collision, the warrant affidavit said. Multiple drivers claimed that Carrero cut in front of them before the crash, according to the warrant affidavit.
The crash was investigated by the state police Collision, Analysis and Reconstruction Squad. Investigators found that Eaton had taken her GoPro with her. They were able to recover the camera and review the footage, which allegedly showed what led to the crash, according to the warrant affidavit.
Prior to the collision, the warrant affidavit said, Eaton could allegedly be heard asking Carrero why he was “going so slow,” the footage showed. As he got onto the ramp to I-291, the footage allegedly showed Carrero reaching speeds of 95 mph while passing another driver, according to the warrant affidavit.
As he began to negotiate a curve in the road, state police said the footage allegedly showed Carrero slow down to 90 mph, the warrant affidavit said. The motorcycle entered a “low side event” going about 85 mph as Carrero lost control, state police alleged.
The reconstruction of the crash allegedly found that it was caused by Carrero’s driving, the warrant affidavit said. The speed limit in the area of the crash is 65 mph.
Carrero was held on a $500,000 bond following his arrest and was expected to appear before a judge the same day in Hartford Superior Court, state police said.