One dead and two injured in head-on collision in Wallingford

A man has died after driving on impaired roadways through several towns on Sunday before crossing the center line in Wallingford and being involved in a head-on collision, according to state police.

According to the Connecticut State Police, troopers pursued a Cadillac Escalade driven by 42-year-old Jonathan Garcia of Wallingford after receiving multiple reports of the vehicle driving erratically.

State police said they followed the vehicle and attempted to stop it before Garcia crossed the yellow center line on a curve heading south on South Turnpike Road at 3:50 p.m. The Cadillac veered into the northbound lane and collided with a Chevrolet Silverado traveling north on South Turnpike Road.

According to state police, the left front end portions of both vehicles collided, resulting in an “offset head-on collision.” After the crash, the Chevrolet came to rest partially on the side of the road and in the northbound lane, and the Cadillac ended up partially in the northbound and southbound lanes.

According to state police, Garcia suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the Chevrolet, a 33-year-old New Haven man, and his passenger, a 52-year-old New Haven woman, were both taken by ambulance to Yale New Haven Hospital after suffering serious injuries, state police said.

The accident remains under investigation by the Major Crime Squad and the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad of the Connecticut State Police Central District.