SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (WTIC and AP) — The family of a woman who died while stranded overnight on Interstate 84 after a crash is suing the state.
Jayan Bryan died last February after she and roommate D’Yanna Wallace spent several hours in Bryan’s car on the Cheshire-Southington border. Wallace suffered severe injuries and survived, and her family also has sued.
Shortly before 2 a.m., a motorist called police to report a large piece of debris in the roadway. A state trooper moved a vehicle trunk lid onto the center median, according to video reviewed by an attorney representing the families, Hearst Connecticut Media Group reported.
The women’s families contend the trooper should have checked the license plate, which they said was attached to the trunk lid, and searched to find out if there had been an accident.
Video shows the same trooper found the two women trapped inside the Nissan at approximately 7:30 a.m., Hearst reported. Bryan, who had recently turned 25, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“A motor vehicle trunk lid — a very sizable piece of debris — is found on the roadway, it's identified and picked up by a trooper," attorney Peter Bowman told the news outlet. “He then discards it, throws it to the side of the road. They don’t determine who owns the car, they don’t reach out to see what the injury is, they don’t try to find out."
State police haven't released a report on the accident. Sgt. Dawn Pagan, a state police spokesperson, told Hearst that was because the investigation remains open. Pagan also said it isn't uncommon for accidents to go unnoticed, particularly if there are no witnesses or a lack of evidence such as tire marks or property damage.