Connecticut State Police have arrested a man who they say crashed into a construction work zone while driving the wrong way on Interstate 95 South in Westport over the weekend.
Troopers said 22-year-old Cory Gomes, of Fairfield, was driving northbound in the southbound lanes of the highway on Sunday around 3:15 a.m.
While driving, state police said Gomes veered into the center median and then reportedly drove through an unpaved highway construction work zone for several hundred feet.
After the collision, Gomes' vehicle ended up stopping next to the exit 17 off-ramp. Neither Gomes nor his 20-year-old female passenger were injured in the collision.
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Once at the scene, troopers said Gomes' eyes appeared bloodshot and there was reportedly the smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from within his vehicle. Gomes failed sobriety tests at the scene, state police added.
Gomes was taken into custody and is facing charges including operating under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, reckless endangerment, driving the wrong way on a highway and reckless driving.
He was later released on a $2,500 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned in court on April 16.
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This wrong-way crash was one of two that happened in Connecticut on Sunday. An East Hartford man was also arrested for allegedly driving southbound in the northbound lanes of Route 5/15 and hitting a state police cruiser. He also appeared to be intoxicated and failed field sobriety tests, according to state police.
These crashes come as the state Department of Transportation is set to install wrong-way detection technology at six different locations across Connecticut this week. DOT will be working on the ramps starting Monday night along Route 8 in Naugatuck, Waterbury and Torrington and some locations on Interstate 84 in Newtown and Farmington.
