A 19-year-old driver involved in a fatal accident late Friday was ticketed by police three times within a year of getting his driver’s license and had to complete operator retraining twice, according to state DMV records.
Eric H. Ramirez, of Wood Road, was cited five times by officers in the Valley and Bridgeport between the time he received his license in March 2010 and last April, Bill Seymour, a DMV spokesman, said Wednesday.
Details of Ramirez’s driving record were first reported Tuesday by the Waterbury Republican-American and then the the New Haven Register.
Ramirez was behind the wheel late Friday night when a crash occurred in Oxford after an officer from the Seymour Police Department tried to stop him.
Brandon Giordano, a 15-year-old friend of Ramirez’s died in the accident. A third teen in the car, Dion Major, suffered minor injuries.
Seymour said Ramirez received his license March 19, 2010, and subsequently received the following summonses:
- May 20, 2010: Oxford police cited Ramirez for failure to yield the right of way.
- July 3, 2010: Seymour police cited Ramirez for failure to obey a stop sign.
- March 16, 2011: Bridgeport police cited Ramirez for driving too fast for conditions.
- April 15, 2011: Shelton police cited Ramirez twice, once for having lights on his car not allowed by state law, and also for failing to carry his registration or insurance card — Seymour said it isn’t clear whether the citations were for one incident or two separate stops.
Ramirez had to complete operator retraining twice, once in September 2010, and another time in July 2011, according to Seymour.
A source told the Valley Indy Monday that the the Seymour police officer, Tony Renaldi, began following Ramirez’s 2000 Ford Mustang because it had illegal neon lights on its undercarriage.
Further information about the events leading up to crash have not been released and remain under investigation.
This map shows how the incident developed, according to the source:
The Republican-American also reported that Ramirez bragged about his car to friends through comments and photos on his Facebook page.
Funeral services will be held on Friday for Giordano.
Past stories:
State police probing fatal crash
