ANDOVER, Mass. — A 32-year-old Lawrence woman is facing drunken driving charges in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a 75-year-old Methuen woman on Interstate 495 in Andover over the weekend, state police said.
Jaymee K. Miller was charged with driving under the influence of liquor, leaving the scene of a crash causing personal injury, and leaving the scene of a crash causing property damage, state police said Tuesday.
Charges against Miller may be upgraded to reflect the death of Luzmila Quispe of Methuen, a passenger in another vehicle who later died from her injuries at a Boston hospital, according to state police, who learned of Quispe’s death on Monday.
At 10:45 p.m. Saturday, state police began receiving multiple calls from motorists reporting a crash on I-495 north, south of Exit 99.
A preliminary investigation found that a 2009 Honda Fit hatchback was northbound, with a 2014 Ford Edge sedan also northbound behind it. In the area of the 98.8 mile marker, the Ford crashed into the rear of the Honda, state police said. The Honda was pushed across the breakdown lane and struck the guardrail. The driver of the Edge did not stop and continued northbound on I-495.
The two rear seat passengers in the Honda, Quispe and a 76-year-old man, both of Methuen, were entrapped in the vehicle. Andover Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to free them, state police said.
Both Quispe and the man were flown to Boston hospitals, where Quispe later died.
Two front occupants in the Honda, a 22-year-old Methuen woman who was driving and a 53-year-old Methuen woman who was the front seat passenger, were taken by ambulance to a local hospital with minor injuries, state police said.
At the scene of the crash, troopers found evidence related to the registration of the Ford Edge driven by Miller, state police said. A short time later, Lawrence Police officers located and apprehended Miller at a Gulf gas station on Route 114 in Lawrence. Her vehicle had front end damage and a registration matching the evidence found at the crash scene.
Trooper Brian Meoli responded to the gas station and spoke to Miller, state police said. Meoli then conducted several field sobriety tests on Miller and, based on the test results and the trooper’s observations, he placed her under arrest.
Miller was booked at the State Police-Andover Barracks, where she refused to submit to a chemical breath test to detect the presence of alcohol, state police said.
As a result, she was given a mandatory license suspension and her driver’s license was seized. A bail clerk set bail at $20,000 plus the mandatory $40 bail fee. Miller was transported to the Suffolk County House of Correction to be held until able to post bail or arraignment in Lawrence District Court.
An 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.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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