Driver charged with manslaughter for November crash
Oct. 5—ENFIELD — A Massachusetts man who had been charged with a DUI after a fatal crash on Interstate 91 in November has been charged with manslaughter in that incident.
State police charged Dominic Grassetti, 25, of Southwick, Massachusetts, with second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle.
The fatal crash occurred Nov. 12 around 12:40 a.m. in the northbound lane on I-91 in Enfield near Exit 48. Police say Grassetti hit the vehicle in front of him, driven by Fernando Lebron, 60, of Chicopee, Massachusetts.
Officers who responded to the scene found Lebron lying in the road near his vehicle. He suffered blunt force trauma to his head, neck and torso and was pronounced dead at the scene.
At the time police said Grassetti, who was not injured and denied medical attention, showed signs of impairment and failed a field sobriety test. According to the warrant, he said he had consumed an alcoholic beverage several hours before the crash.
State police found five empty 1.7-ounce vodka bottles, an empty hard seltzer, and a bag of Adderall pills in his vehicle.
According to the warrant, Grassetti was driving 109 to 118 mph at the time of the crash. He was charged that night with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
State troopers later applied for the warrant charging Grassetti with manslaughter.
Grassetti turned himself into Enfield police on Monday. He was held on $150,000 bond and appeared in Hartford Superior Court on Tuesday. His next court appearance will be Oct. 17.
For more coverage of Somers and Enfield, follow Susan Danseyar on Twitter: @susandanseyar, Facebook: Susan Danseyar, reporter.
