An investigation has been launched into the restaurant that allegedly served the wife of longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman before she died in a car crash in May, but the restaurant said they were closed that day.
Good News Cafe in Woodbury has been linked to Kathy Berman's death investigation after the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) said on Tuesday that police indicate she may have been dining at the restaurant prior to the crash.
NBC Connecticut reached out to Good News Cafe and a manager said DCP and state police were at the restaurant last week asking questions and they were given receipts to prove the establishment was not open on the day of the crash. The manager said the restaurant cooperated fully and that officials were now looking into other restaurants in the area. The restaurant's website says Good News Cafe is not open on Tuesdays.
The crash happened on Route 64 near Tuttle Road at 2:15 p.m. on May 9 after a Lexus SC 430 driven by 67-year-old Berman, of Cheshire, and a Ford Escape collided, according to state police.
The 86-year-old driver of the Ford, Edward Bertulis, was returning from visiting his late wife at the cemetery when the deadly crash happened. His family said he had been going there every day since his wife passed away in 2016.
State police said both vehicles were traveling east on Route 64 when Berman's Lexus rear-ended the Ford, which veered right off the road, hit a utility pole, and landed upside down. Berman also veered right, crashed off the road and down an embankment into a body of water, according to police.
Both drivers died after the crash.
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The chief medical examiner's office said Berman died of blunt force trauma and drowning on July 20.
On Tuesday, DCP said the autopsy indicated that Berman had heightened blood alcohol content.
State police were made aware that Berman had been at the Good News Cafe on Main Street prior to the accident and troopers believe she may have been over served, according to DCP.
DCP said that according to all reports, Berman was at Good News Cafe. They said they understand the restaurant is not open on Tuesday normally and are investigating whether or not she was at a private event. If it was discovered Berman was not at Good News Cafe, DCP said they will investigate further.
Connecticut State Police and DCP's Liquor Control Division opened a case into the matter, DCP said on Tuesday.
"Our Liquor Control Division opened a case into this matter as soon as we received information indicating a liquor establishment may have violated the law. We are working to complete our investigation in the most thorough manner possible, and our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragedy," DCP said in a statement provided to NBC Connecticut.
Employees of the restaurant and witnesses are being interviewed and surveillance video is being reviewed, DCP said.
The investigation is expected to take a few months.
