Man arrested in connection with crash that injured two state troopers in Enfield

ENFIELD, CT (WFSB) – A man was arrested in connection with a crash that injured two state troopers in Enfield.

18-year-old Joel Caiza is charged with reckless driving, traveling too fast for conditions of the road, failure to maintain lane, and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

He was issued a $100,000 bond and is awaiting arraignment at Hartford Superior Court.

The officers were identified as Trooper Christopher John Genovese and Trooper Matthew Ryan Cerri.

Trooper Genovese was seriously injured and remained in the hospital.

Trooper Cerri was released from the hospital and is recovering from a concussion.

The crash occurred between Exits 47W and 48 shortly after 7 a.m.

The troopers were responding to a crash in the right shoulder with their emergency lights on, state police say.

One officer was standing on the side of the road, while the other was inside their cruiser.

State police said Caica drove through standing water in the left lane, spun across all three lanes, and crashed into both patrol cars.

State police released dash camera footage of the accident.

“As a result of the impact, Trooper Genovese was projected into the roadside,” said state police.

Caica and the occupants inside his car suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Colonel Daniel Loughman, Commanding Officer of Connecticut State Police, released a statement saying the accident was absolutely preventable.

Everyone involved was brought to the hospital.

This crash closed the highway for over eight hours.

“I was going to get her from work, and I was sitting there like what’s going on,” said Aloni Hines, Windsor.

As the cruisers and cars involved were being towed away, workers were seen clearing out a storm drain in the area where Caica’s car hit the standing water.

The Connecticut State Police and the Department of Transportation are investigating the incident.

Check out Channel 3’s First Alert Traffic for updates.