Tractor-trailer operator arrested in fatal I-95 Westbrook crash that left plywood scattered across highway

WESTBROOK, Conn. (WTNH) — A Texas man was arrested for alleged negligence after crashing a flatbed tractor-trailer that left plywood scattered across Interstate 95 in Westbrook, resulting in the death of a Waterford man. State police said that around 7:40 a.m. on Sept. 5, 52-year-old Dewayne Garrison was operating a Freightliner Cascadia/Great Dane tractor-trailer combination northbound on I-95 carrying about 42,000 pounds of plywood, when he veered out of the left lane, into the median and collided with a concrete barrier. The truck then began traveling with its left side against the concrete barrier, when the load of plywood began to shift. Boards that were hanging over the left side of the trailer's bed struck a bridge support column for the Route 145 overpass, according to state police. This is when the wood was propelled onto the highway, subsequently striking the windshield of a 39-year-old man's vehicle, who was traveling in the opposite direction, and causing multiple collisions involving other vehicles, according to witness statements and police analysis. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Upon arrival, state police spoke with Garrison, who stated that he was adjusting his sun visor before striking the concrete barrier due to the sun being in his eyes. State police said that a solar glare analysis revealed that the sun's position was not a contributing factor in the collision. The truck was traveling northbound, going between 54.5 and 58 miles per hour just before the crash. Garrison stated that he and another driver of the truck had picked up the load of oriented strand board in West Virginia. He began driving the truck in Pennsylvania after switching with the other person in the car, he told police. The other person in the truck was asleep in the sleeper berth at the time of the crash, the arrest warrant states. The other person driving with Garrison stated that they had performed a safety check on the load of wood prior to leaving West Virginia. When they stopped in Pennsylvania, they added an extra strap, along with a tarp in case it rained during the drive. Both Garrison and the other driver had 25 years of experience driving tractor-trailer trucks. The passenger also stated that he always personally secured the cargo on his trailers and never had an issue with anything becoming dislodged. A later analysis stated that the load was properly secured before the crash. Officers seized a medicine bag from Garrison's tractor-trailer after the crash, where they found medicine and a loaded firearm that was not registered to him. Garrison did not have a valid pistol permit in Texas or Connecticut. Garrison declined to provide a statement to police following the crash, according to the arrest warrant. Garrison was charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, failure to drive in the proper lane, and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle. He was held on a $50,000 surety bond.