Thompson, CT / Brookfield, MA – The surviving dirt bike rider in the fatal 2023 Baker Rd crash has been arrested on numerous charges including Negligent Homicide and Operating Under the Influence (OUI).
At approximately 4 PM on December 23rd, 2023, the East Thompson Fire Department, Putnam EMS, and KB Ambulance QV Medics were dispatched to Baker Rd for reports of a multi-dirt bike accident with serious injuries. On arrival, crews found two operators on the ground with serious injuries. A UMass Memorial LifeFlight helicopter was requested to a nearby landing zone at the Thompson Raceway Clubhouse. One operator, later identified as a 22-year-old Oxford man, was pronounced deceased on the scene. The second operator, a 21-year-old Brookfield man, was transported to UMass Memorial Hospital (Worcester, MA) with serious injuries.
According to the Connecticut State Police (CSP), on November 21st, 2024, the now 22-year-old Brookfield man was arrested on an active arrest warrant for the following charges:
- Negligent Homicide (14-222a)
- Operating a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Drugs/Alcohol (OUI) (14-227a)
- Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Minimum Insurance (14-213b)
- Operating/Parking an Unregistered Motor Vehicle (14-12(a)*)
According to the affidavit submitted in support of the arrest warrant, the Brookfield man stated to Troopers he had been drinking “beers” and smoking “joints” prior to operating the dirt bike on Baker Rd. The man’s statement went on to indicate he and the Oxford man were doing wheelies in opposite directions on the dusty dirt road when they collided. The affidavit goes on to indicate the Brookfield man’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was 0.08g% when tested at the hospital. A postmortem examination of the Oxford man revealed his BAC was 0.071g% and a positive return for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The official cause of death is listed as “Accident” by the Medical Examiner. The legal BAC limit in Connecticut is 0.08g%.
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