‘Shocked, saddened’, ‘outraged.’ Pleas for driver change after CT DOT worker killed on highway

Andrew DiDomenico allegedly died because of an epidemic of lawless drivers who speed, drive impaired and distracted, said his aunt, Melissa Lombardi, Tuesday.Lombardi spoke at a press conference at the Wallingford rest stop on southbound Interstate 91, attended by Gov. Ned Lamont, Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto and several members of her family to once again plead for safer driving on the state’s highways after her nephew died June 28 on the Exit 13 on-ramp, picking up trash for mowing crews.The press briefing came just before a national holiday expected to put untold millions on the road. And record number of people are expected to travel nationally during the Fourth of July holiday period, according to the latest forecast from AAA.The auto club forecasts that more than 70.9 million people in the United States will travel at least 50 miles for the Independence Day period from June 29 through July 7.“People are driving crazy,” Lombardi said. “On the way here today I was nearly hit a couple of times. It’s the lack of empathy for situations such as this. It’s the lack of respect for your fellow citizens. People are selfish and they’re just taking their own wants and needs and not thinking of those that are affected by this until it hits their family.”DiDomenico, who lived in Newington, was 26. He was hit by an allegedly drunken driver at 9:15 a.m. Denise Lucibello, 55, was arrested on multiple charges and appeared in court Monday, according to state police. Her bond was set at $500,000.He was the first DOT worker to die on the job since 2012 and the 37th in the department’s 127-year history, according to spokesman Josh Morgan.On May 30, Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Interstate 84 in Southington while he was conducting a traffic stop.Lombardi said she’d like to advocate for stricter penalties for those that break traffic laws. “No more slaps on the wrist,” she said. “People need to be held accountable for their poor actions.”She also thanked Lamont and others “for the outreach of support and love we have received from our local and state communities. The magnitude of this horrific but preventable tragedy has reached the hearts and emotions of many and our family is so grateful for the unwavering support. “My nephew Andrew was a wonderful young man, a loving and devoted son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend to so many,” she said.Eucalitto said, “Frankly, we shouldn’t really be here today. … Andrew was a valuable member of our District 3 team here in the Wallingford garage. Our garages, for those of you who don’t know, they’re like families. They work together, they eat together, they spend days and nights together working during storms.“Andrew’s colleagues told me on Friday that they’ll always remember him for his great sense of humor, his constant smile and his unmatched work ethic. He always answered the call when the phone rang, when we needed him and even volunteered for community events like touch-a-truck events in their community.”Eucalitto said DiDomenico’s death is “exactly the worst-case scenario we’re trying to prevent in the transportation community” with its Vision Zero “quest to get to zero fatalities on our roadways.”“All of us at ConnDOT are shocked, saddened and we’re outraged by this horrible loss,” he said. “Every day, every week, every year, we all preach safety. We ask drivers to drive sober. We beg them to slow down and we plead with them to put down their devices. And we ask anyone who will listen to ensure that their friends are doing the same.”Lamont mentioned the increased number of police stops, wrong-way devices and speed cameras that will be permanently installed at work zones: “everything we’re doing to keep you safe,” he said.“The other 90% is up to you,” he said. “I need folks to look out for each other. I need you to say to somebody who’s driving a car that shouldn’t be driving a car, pull over. I need you to say to somebody who’s busy texting and not paying attention, Stop it. We’re doing everything we can as a state to take the lead on this, but the rest really is up to you.”Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@courant.com.

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