Community Corner
GoFundMe Created To Bury New Haven Man, 19, Killed In I-95 Crash
The family of Ricardo E. Figueroa-Garcia, whose motorcycle was struck on I-95 in New Haven, hopes to bury him in Puerto Rico.
NEW HAVEN, CT —The family of Ricardo E. Figueroa-Garcia, 19, of Dover Street in Fair Haven, killed in an accident on Interstate 95 just after midnight Saturday, hopes to raise enough money to cover funeral expenses including bringing his body to Puerto Rico for burial.
In the GoFundMe appeal, his mother Debora Garcia said "any help would be a great blessing."
Figueroa-Garcia was driving his motorcycle on the northbound side of I-95 in the right lane when, according to police, a 1991, 2-door Acura Integra driven by Gamalier Estrada, 25, of New Haven, approached at a "high rate of speed" as it changed lanes from the right center lane to the right lane, behind the motorcycle, Connecticut State Police said.
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The car hit the bike and Figueroa-Garcia was thrown. Police said Estrada's car kept going before stopping on the highway shoulder, when, state police said, Estrada fled on foot.
Figueroa-Garcia was pronounced dead at the scene.
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According to his Facebook page, Figueroa-Garcia attended Wilbur Cross High School and held two jobs.
The New Haven Independent reported that state police arrested Estrada Sunday at 3:20 a.m. on a warrant for evading responsibility for a death, and, he was also charged with a separate violation of a standing protective order. Estrada was held on $1 million bond for the evading responsibility for a death charge, and $250,000 bond for a violation of the protective order charge. He's due in court in New Haven Tuesday on the death charge.
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