3 Killed in Holiday Weekend Crashes

Three people were killed in crashes over the holiday weekend.

David Cooley, 24, of North Haven, was killed in a crash on Interstate 91 in North Haven just after 10 p.m. on Sunday, according to state police.

Police said Cooley was driving north of exit 10 when he went off the road and hit a tree off the right shoulder of I-91 southbound.

Cooley and his passenger, Paige Camera, 24, of Meriden, were trapped in the car and had to be extricated, according to North Haven police.

Both people were transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where Cooley was pronounced dead. Camera is in critical condition and on life support, according to state police.

George Abouanni, 27, was killed in a crash on Interstate 691 westbound between exits 4 and 3 in Southington around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to State Police.

Investigators said Abouanni lost control of his vehicle and slid across the road, where he was hit by another car.

The two people in the other car were not hurt.

One person was killed in a crash on Route 8 northbound in Beacon Falls late Saturday night when a Chevrolet went off the road by exit 24, hit a tree and was engulfed in flames, according to state police. 

The name of the person killed has not been released.

I-691 and the exit 10 off-ramp of I-91 were both shut down for several hours while police investigated. Route 8 was also closed after the crash.

State police investigated 410 crashes, 59 of which resulted in injuries, issued 1,611 citations for speeding and made 62 arrests for diving under the influence.  

In 2011, there were 389 crashes over the holiday weekend, 50 of which caused injuries. Two were fatal.

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