Methuen woman dies after being struck by alleged drunken driver on I-495 in Andover
A 32-year-old Lawrence woman faces drunken driving charges after she allegedly drove while intoxicated, striking and killing a 75-year-old Methuen woman on Interstate 495 in Andover, over the weekend, according to authorities.
A bail clerk has suspended and seized Jaymee K. Miller’s license and set bail at $20,000 plus the mandatory $40 bail fee following the Saturday night crash that killed Luzmila Quispe, Massachusetts State Police said Tuesday.
Quispe, a backseat passenger in the car that Miller allegedly struck, died from her injuries at a Boston hospital on Monday.
State troopers responded to reports from motorists of a hit-and-run on I-495 north in Andover, south of Exit 99, at around 10:45 p.m. Saturday.
Initial findings indicate a 2014 Ford Edge sedan was traveling northbound when it crashed into the rear of a 2009 Honda Fit hatchback in the area of the 98.8 mile marker. The impact of the collision caused the Honda to be pushed across a breakdown line before it struck a guardrail, according to authorities.
The driver of the Ford Edge, identified as Miller, did not stop and continued northbound on Route 495. The suspect is alleged of being intoxicated at the time of the crash.
Andover firefighters used a rescue tool to free Quispe and a 76-year-old man, also of Methuen, who was sitting in another rear seat, from the Honda. The man’s identity and relationship with Quispe were not released. They were MedFlighted to Boston hospitals.
A 22-year-old Methuen woman driving the Honda and the front seat passenger, a 53-year-old Methuen woman, were taken by ambulance to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Troopers responding to the crash found evidence relevant to the registration of the Ford Edge, and shortly after, the Lawrence Police Department discovered the suspected vehicle at a city Gulf gas station on Route 114. The vehicle sustained front-end damage.
One of the troopers conducted several field sobriety tests on Miller before placing her under arrest on charges of OUI-liquor, leaving the scene of a crash causing personal injury; and leaving the scene of a crash causing property damage.
Miller may face upgraded charges to reflect Quispe’s death depending on the results of the ongoing investigation, authorities said.
Authorities brought Miller to the State Police-Andover Barracks where she refused to submit to a breath test to detect the presence of alcohol. She was then taken to the Suffolk County House of Correction to be held until she posts bail or is arraigned in Lawrence District Court.
The investigation is being conducted by the State Police-Andover Barracks, State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, and State Police Crime Scene Services Section, along with the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.