A driver was killed in one of two crashes on the Merritt Parkway (Route 15) early Sunday morning.
Jesus Rivera, 27, of Bridgeport,died in the first of the two crashes.
Jonathan D. Rosa-Whitlock, 26, of Bridgeport, driving a 2015 Subaru Impreza, rear-ended the 1999 Honda Civic that Rivera was driving on the southbound side of the Merritt Parkway near exit 53 at about 1:43 a.m., state police said. That caused both cars to lose control, according to state police. The Honda Civic came to rest on the right shoulder and Rosa-Whitlock's car ended up in the middle of the highway, requiring the Merritt Parkway to be shut down. He was taken to Bridgeport Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Rivera was trapped in the Honda Civic and needed to be extricated. He was transported to St. Vincent's Hospital, but died of his injuries. His passenger, Jessica Dasilva, 22, of Bridgeport, was taken to Bridgeport Hospital to be treated for serious injuries.
The conditions of Dasilva and Rosa-Whitlock are unknown. Both vehicles were towed. The car Rivera was driving belonged to a relative.
Traffic was initially diverted off exit 53 in Stratford due to the crash, but then there was a second crash involving a pedestrian near the Sikorsky Bridge at about 3:37 a.m. Denisse Garcia, 24, of Trumbull, driving a 2011 Toyota Carolla, struck a state Department of Transportation vehicle parked along the highway and then Kevin Halloran, 54, of West Haven, while he was out of the state vehicle "establishing a flare and cone pattern" for a road closure, state police said. Halloran was transported to St. Vincent's Hospital to be treated for serious injuries.
Cars were then detoured off exit 54 in Milford.
Local
The state highway reopened just in time for the Sunday morning commute, six and a half hours after the first crash.
Multiple emergency crews responded and so did the Department of Transportation.
