The mother of a 6‑year-old girl killed in a crash on Route 8 in Shelton last summer is now facing charges in connection with the crash.
In an arrest warrant on file at Superior Court in Derby, state police say the woman, 37-year-old Joan Willoughby of Ansonia, didn’t have a license or insurance at the time of the crash — and didn’t have her 6‑year-old daughter in a car seat.
The warrant says she also had methadone and oxycodone in her system before the crash, though she wasn’t charged with driving under the influence.
Willoughby faces charges of negligent homicide with a motor vehicle, operating without a driver’s license, failure to maintain mandatory insurance, failure to drive a reasonable distance apart, and driving without a child restraint system.
During a court appearance Aug. 5, Willoughby told a judge she is in the process of hiring a lawyer, according to court records.
Willoughby’s daughter, six-year-old Nyah Marcano, died Aug. 18, 2015 after being thrown from an SUV during a crash on Route 8 about 3:12 p.m.
Willoughby was driving north in the area of exit 12 when traffic slowed suddenly, according to the warrant.
Willoughby was unable to slow her SUV down before colliding with the vehicle in front of her, causing a chain reaction crash.
The SUV rolled over into the median of the highway.
Nyah wasn’t in a car seat, as required by law.
Two other children of Willoughby’s were also in the vehicle but were not injured seriously.
The warrant says Willoughby did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash, nor did she have the mandatory insurance coverage on the vehicle.
Willoughby also told state police that she had prescriptions for methadone and oxycodone due to nerve damage. Both drugs turned up in a toxicology report for Willoughby.
Though she told state police she not take her prescribed meds that day, Trooper Tamia Tucker determined the drugs to be a “causative factor” in the crash.
“These opioid analgesic drugs have a precautionary warning indicating not to drive or operate heavy machinery due to causing impairment and the negative effects on an individual’s alertness,” Tucker wrote in the warrant.
However, the warrant did not charge Willoughby with operating under the influence.
The Valley Indy left a message Thursday for the prosecutor who signed the arrest warrant.
Willoughby was arrested at state police Troop G in Bridgeport July 22, according to court records.
She was released on a $10,000 nonsurety bond in the case.
Willoughby’s next court date is Sept. 23.
