Driver Sentenced In Crash That Killed Tow Truck Driver In North Haven

NORTH HAVEN, CT — A Cromwell man accused of striking and killing a tow truck driver on I-91 in North Haven nearly three years ago was sentenced Wednesday, according to NBC Connecticut.

NBC reports Luis Resto was sentenced to 15 years in prison, suspended after eight years served, following by three years of probation. As part of a plea deal, Resto pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, and evading responsibility – death resulting.

Resto was arrested in April 2023 in connection with the crash that happened the previous May.

The tow truck driver, 38-year-old Christopher Russell, was helping a woman whose car was broken down on I-91 North in North Haven when he was struck. Russell was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Resto, who was initially unresponsive when responders arrived, was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

During an interview at the hospital, Resto told investigators that he “left a friend’s house in New Haven and bought a small bag of heroin, which he consumed before entering I-91 northbound,” police said at the time.

Read more about Wednesday’s sentencing at NBC Connecticut here.

• See related: Man Charged In Crash That Killed Tow Truck Driver On I-91: State PD