Driver Charged in Crash That Killed 73-Year-Old Was Drunk and Had Marijuana In His System: Police

A 21-year-old Manchester man has been charged in the crash that killed a 73-year-old Manchester man in July and police said the driver was drunk, under the influence of marijuana and was driving twice the speed limit.

Epifanio Garcia turned himself in to police on Friday and has been charged with second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, driving under the influence, reckless driving, possession of less than half an ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police said Garcia rear-ended the 2003 Nissan Murano 73-year-old Solomon Reid, of Manchester, was driving on Tolland Turnpike just after midnight on July 15.

Reid sustained serious injuries and an ambulance transported him to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where he died from injuries sustained in the crash, police said. 

Garcia was transported to Hartford Hospital to be treated for a broken arm.

Police investigated the crash and said Garcia was driving 80 miles per hour in a 40-mile-per-hour zone and he had a blood alcohol level of .17, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08.

Garcia was 20 years old at the time of the crash and did not turn 21 until a couple weeks later.

Drug tests also detected marijuana in his system and police found a small amount of marijuana in the car, police said.

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