RICHMOND, Vt. -
Posted: July 30, 2015
By WCAX News
We've now learned the identity of a man killed in a fatal car three-car crash on Interstate 89.
Around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, state police say 23-year-old Karri Benoir or Barre was headed south near the Richmond exit when she crossed the grass median and hit a car head-on.
That car was being driven by 30-year-old Brendon Cousino of Richmond. Police say Cousino died at the scene.
A third car then hit Benoir's car. That driver was not injured. Benoir was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The road was closed for several hours, but is now back open.
The investigation into the crash continues.
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1 killed in head-on wreck on I-89 in Richmond
A car heading southbound on I89 at the botton of French Hill crossed the median, went airborne, and struck an oncoming car heading north, killing that car's driver Thursday night, July 30, 2015. RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS
Mike Donoghue, Free Press Staff Writer 7:05 a.m. EDT July 31, 2015
(Photo: RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS)
One person was killed in a head-on crash when a car crossed the median just north of exit 11 on Interstate 89 in Richmond on Thursday night, state police said.
The death was first confirmed by Vermont State Police Lt. John Flannigan, the night watch commander for northern Vermont.
A young male driver who was "heavily entrapped" in his sedan had no pulse when emergency crews responded to the crash, reported shortly before 7:30 p.m., the Williston Fire Department said in a statement.
Public safety units also found a young female driver who had been ejected from her car and had significant injuries, said firefighter Prescott Nadeau, the fire department's public information officer.
EMS immediately treated the woman and then transported her to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, he said.
Names, ages and hometowns of the drivers were not released as of 10 p.m.
A pick-up truck also was involved in the wreck. The vehicle sustained minor damage, and the driver indicated he did not want to be taken to the hospital, Nadeau said.
The northbound lanes were closed for several hours after the crash.
Amber Miles, in several public posts on Facebook, wrote Thursday night she was behind a car on I-89 when she saw the sedan drift into the median. The car "gained air and nose dived into the hood of another car going the opposite direction... Both cars were instantly in shreds," she wrote.
"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen. The person in the other lane never even saw it coming. My heart is really heavy right now. The car had just passed us, had to have been going at least 75-80," her post stated.
"I'm just glad we let them pass us. I feel so terrible for the people in the car on the other side," she wrote in another post.
Vermont State Police Lt. Garry Scott, head of the department's Crash Reconstruction Team, confirmed the preliminary investigation showed one vehicle drifted across the median before the crash.
A Vermont State trooper at the scene of the fatal crash on I-89 in Richmond. (Photo: RYAN MERCER/FREE PRESS)
State and Richmond police along with Richmond and Williston fire departments and Essex Rescue were among the agencies to respond to the scene.
The Williston Fire Department brought in flood lights to help illuminate the scene for the ongoing police investigation.
An assistant Vermont medical examiner arrived at about 9:30 p.m., the Williston Fire Department said.
Northbound traffic was being diverted off I-89 at exit 11 in the hours after the crash. Southbound traffic was still flowing.State police and the Williston Fire Department both issued alerts on email and Twitter trying to get drivers to avoid the area. Williston Fire said the crash was considered "significant" and noted "delays will be extensive. Please avoid area and use caution.