HARTFORD
The estate of a Suffield girl killed Aug. 25 in a crash on I-91 in Enfield has filed a lawsuit against the driver and her father, Democratic State Rep. Matthew J. Conway Jr.
The lawsuit, brought by Tina and Frank Rocca on behalf of the estate of Alexa Crosby, charges that Amanda Conway and her father were negligent. It further contends that Amanda Conway was reckless, violated motor vehicle laws, and was drunk at the time of the crash. Tina Rocco is Crosby’s mother and Frank Rocca is her stepfather.
State police have already brought criminal charges against Conway, 18, who turned herself into state police in Hartford on Nov. 24.
She is charged with second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol by a person under 21, possession of alcohol in a vehicle by a minor, negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, traveling too fast for conditions and failure to carry an insurance card.
She is free on $50,000 bail.
Crosby was a passenger in Conway’s vehicle when the crash occurred about 2:30 a.m. Aug. 25. A second passenger in the car, Ann Bauchiero, 19, was seriously injured. Witnesses told state police that they saw the three drinking at a party before the crash. One witness said he did not see Crosby drinking.
The three were on their way to a McDonald’s in Enfield when Conway lost control of her vehicle on an entrance ramp to I-91 and collided with the cab of a tractor-trailer truck. The truck driver was not injured.
The lawsuit names Conway’s father because he owned the Jeep Cherokee his daughter was driving at the time of the crash.
“This is a terrible tragedy and the family is determined to find out exactly what happened and why,” said the lawyer for the Roccas, John J. Houlihan Jr. of the Hartford law firm Riscassi and Davis. Houlihan said the driver of the truck involved in the crash as well as the host of the party where the teens were drinking need to be investigated further.
“This senseless loss of life from underage drinking and driving must stop,” he said.
Calls to Matthew Conway, who did not see re-election in November, and Amanda Conway’s lawyer, James Wade of the Hartford law firm Robinson & Cole, were not returned.