A man faces charges in connection with a snowy head-on crash in Durham in January that killed an 86-year-old man and seriously injured his wife.
Nevin Moore, 22, was arrested Wednesday on charges of misconduct with a motor vehicle and third-degree assault, according to Connecticut State Police.
State police said they obtained a warrant for his arrest following an investigation into a three-car crash that occurred on Jan. 6 just after 1:15 p.m. on New Haven Road near Corn Club Road. Emergency crews who responded to the scene found a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 with the driver, identified as John Festa, and his 83-year-old wife inside, according to the warrant affidavit supporting the charges. The Northford couple were both unresponsive and seriously injured.
According to the warrant affidavit, Festa was pronounced dead on his way to a hospital after medics performed CPR on him. His wife as well as Moore were both treated at a hospital.
An autopsy found that Festa died of blunt impact injury of his torso and right lower extremity. His death was ruled an accident caused by a car crash.
Moore had to be extricated from a 2021 Lexus GX460, the warrant affidavit said. The driver of a third vehicle involved, a 2022 GMC Sierra 1500, did not report any injuries.
When police spoke to the GMC driver, he said he was headed south on New Haven Road behind the Dodge Ram when he allegedly noticed a Lexus being driven in the opposite direction start to swerve and spin counterclockwise over the double yellow line, where it struck the front of the Ram, the warrant affidavit said. The Lexus then stopped partially in the southbound lane where the GMC driver said he was not able to stop in time, striking the rear passenger door, according to the warrant affidavit.
The GMC driver said he called 911 and checked on the occupants of both vehicles. He moved his vehicle to get access to a trauma kit he kept inside and began tending to Festa before police, firefighters and medics arrived, the warrant affidavit said.
Festa’s wife told police the couple was returning home from Festa’s hearing aid checkup in Middletown, according to the warrant affidavit. She said the roads were covered in snow and slick.
Festa’s wife claimed that she and her husband noticed that the Lexus driver began to lose control and that Festa tried to maneuver around it but he was unable to avoid a collision, the warrant affidavit said. Both airbags went off and dazed Festa and his wife, she said.
She said she began holding his hands once he let go of the steering wheel, when he told her he was not alright and was having a hard time breathing, the warrant affidavit said. She told police Festa was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the warrant affidavit.
Moore spoke to state police investigators after he was released from the hospital. He claimed that he was going about 35 mph and that he started to feel the vehicle’s steering wheel shake as he navigated a bend in the road, according to the warrant affidavit. He said the vehicle then started to slide.
Moore told police he believed the Dodge Ram in the opposite lane was also sliding, the warrant affidavit said. He said he hit the brakes but the vehicle continued to slide until he felt the impact with the Ram which was followed by another collision, according to the warrant affidavit.
Moore said he was unable to get out of the vehicle following the crash and could hear someone outside say they were formerly a medic in the Army, the warrant affidavit said. A representative from OnStar spoke to him through the vehicle and confirmed he had been involved in a crash, he told police. He said he made a phone call to let someone know he was in an accident before emergency crews arrived and helped him out of the vehicle, according to the warrant affidavit.
Moore was treated at the hospital for three fractured ribs, a fractured sternum, a bruised lung as well as scrapes and bruises throughout his body, the warrant affidavit said.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the Lexus and found that it was allegedly being driven between about 51 and 55 mph prior to the crash, the warrant affidavit said. The speed limit where the crash occurred was 45 mph.
State police investigators concluded that the “causative factor” that led to the crash was Moore driving too fast for the conditions, according to the warrant affidavit. Moore is free on a $150,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Middletown Superior Court on Sept. 10.
According to an obituary, Festa was married to his wife for 62 years. He was born in New Haven and raised in Hamden before attending Quinnipiac College for two years and serving in the United States Army Reserves.
Festa left behind three children and as many grandchildren, the obituary said. He enjoyed automotive and mechanical work and “was gifted with a special talent for building model airplanes and boats,” according to the obituary.
“Nothing gave John more joy than spending time with his friends and family,” the obituary said. “He would organize monthly dinners with longtime friends and cherished celebrating Christmas Eve in his barn surrounded by them while sharing his delicious cooking. Every summer he looked forward to the annual family trips to Misquamicut and, later, Block Island.”
