Man Killed, Woman Injured In Stonington I-95 Wreck

STONINGTON, CT — A man was killed and a woman was injured in a three-car crash on Interstate 95 in Stonington on Sunday afternoon, according to state police. Leander Nathan Ortega, 29, of Boston, Massachusetts, was killed in the wreck.

Ortega was driving a 2003 Volkswagen GTI in the left lane of I-95 north at 3:30 p.m. about half a mile south of Exit 91 ramp, according to Connecticut State Police. Three other vehicles were also traveling in the left lane: a 2011 Toyota Tacoma, a 2020 Toyota RAV4 and a 2009 Volkswagen CC.

Ortega attempted to pass the RAV4 and the Volkswagen on the right, police said. He moved into the left lane, hitting the rear of the Toyota Tacoma and the front passenger side of the RAV4, according to police.

Ortega and the driver of the RAV4, Melina Cote, 27, of Cranston, Rhode Island, both lost control of their cars, continued into the median, and struck trees, police said.

Ortega was pronounced dead at the scene. Cote said she had severe stomach pain and was transported to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, police said. Three children in her car were taken to L + M Hospital for observation for possible injuries. The driver of the Toyota Tacoma, Lee Metzger, 30, of Mystic, was uninjured.

The wreck resulted in gridlock on I-95 and in Mystic throughout the afternoon and into the evening as traffic was rerouted off the highway at Exit 90, according to The New London Day.

Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Troop E of the Connecticut State Police at 860-848-6500.