Middletown woman's windshield was 'obstructed' in fatal crash involving a pedestrian, warrant says

MIDDLETOWN — A Middletown woman was driving with an “obstructed” windshield before she fatally injured a 66-year-old pedestrian in a crash last year, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. Lizeth Gonzalez-Cedeno, 34, was charged on Feb. 19 with negligent homicide in connection with the Sept. 29 crash on Main Street Extension, court records show. Officials have said she was released on a $25,000 bond. Police have said Paul Fachini, of East Hampton, was critically injured in the single-vehicle wreck. He was later pronounced dead at Hartford Hospital on Oct. 1, officials wrote in the eight-page warrant. Officials have said the crash took place around 6:30 a.m. amid foggy conditions. Officers who responded to the scene found a red 2015 Nissan Rogue with significant damage to the passenger side hood, windshield and mirror, police wrote. Investigators also noted the car’s windows had a heavy amount of condensation and the windshield appeared tinted. The driver, identified as Gonzalez-Cedeno, claimed she had activated her defroster and windshield wipers to clear the condensation. Gonzalez-Cedeno also told police that she estimated she could only see “roughly 70 percent” of her windshield and did not spot the pedestrian in the roadway, but felt the sudden impact on the front passenger side, officials wrote. “Based on Ms. Gonzalez-Cedeno’s statement, she knowingly operated her motor vehicle while her windshield was fogged due to the weather and did not have a clear view out her windshield,” police wrote. A witness who was driving behind Gonzalez-Cedeno told investigators he saw a “shadow of a man” on the side of the road. He said he did not believe Gonzalez-Cedeno saw the pedestrian before the crash because he did not see the Nissan’s brake lights. Police wrote that Fachini’s truck was parked in the roadway near where he was struck and that officers found empty alcoholic beverages in the vehicle. An autopsy determined he had a blood alcohol content of 0.25 and died from blunt injuries to his head, neck and torso. City mechanics who inspected the Nissan determined the entirety of the windshield was tinted in violation of a state law that bans any amount of transparent film on windshields. The inspection report also noted the defroster was functioning properly, but was found in the off position. “The operator, Ms. Gonzalez-Cedeno, failed to exercise reasonable care to ensure proper vision before operating her motor vehicle,” police wrote in the warrant. Police have said Gonzalez-Cedeno was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, failure to yield to a pedestrian, windshield obstructing view and tinted auto glass requirements. She is scheduled to appear at state Superior Court March 12.