CT man accused of DUI facing additional charges, including manslaughter, in death of pedestrian

State police have charged a man they believe was driving under the influence and more than twice the speed limit during a fatal crash involving a pedestrian in Griswold in September.

Curt Rivard Jr., 34, was charged Tuesday with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, traveling unreasonably fast, failure to drive in the proper lane and failure to exercise due care to avoid a pedestrian, according to Connecticut State Police.

Rivard had already faced charges of operating under the influence and evading responsibility after he was pulled over shortly after a crash on Sept. 22, 2023, that killed 50-year-old Kandi Fortuna of Griswold, state police said.

The additional charges against Rivard came after the state police C.A.R.S. unit conducted an analysis of the crash and found that he was driving about 55 mph in a 25 mph zone, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The analysis also showed that the crash could have been avoided had he been going the speed limit, the warrant affidavit said.

State troopers just before 8 p.m. on Sept. 22, 2023, responded to the area of 85 N. Main Street in the Jewett City section of Griswold on the report of a crash involving a pedestrian. Fortuna was taken to William Backus Hospital where she died as a result of injuries suffered in the crash.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, investigators spoke to multiple witnesses to the crash, including a passenger in Rivard’s car, a man who was walking with Fortuna during the crash and another person who was in the area of the collision.

Fortuna and a man had parked in a lot across the street from the Jewett City Pizza Palace and were walking to the restaurant when the crash occurred, the warrant affidavit said. The man walking with Fortuna said she was behind him when he suddenly heard a motorist “winding up and banging gears,” driving very quickly, according to the warrant affidavit.

The man told troopers he started walking faster before he felt the car pass behind him and heard a loud impact. He turned around and said he could not immediately find Fortuna, the warrant affidavit said. He then noticed she was about 50 feet north of him and ran over to her. The man told police he believed she was dead on the spot.

Another witness to the crash told troopers Fortuna could be seen flying in the air after the collision, according to the warrant affidavit.

A passenger in Rivard’s vehicle called the police after the crash and described the events leading up to the fatal collision, the warrant affidavit said. He said he went to a bar in Plainfield at 6:30 p.m. and allegedly saw Rivard at the bar with an alcoholic beverage in front of him, according to the warrant affidavit.

Having not seen Rivard in over a year, the two caught up and began talking about Rivard’s vehicle, the warrant affidavit said. The man said Rivard agreed to let him drive it.

With Rivard in the passenger seat, the man said he drove somewhere on Ashland Street around 7:20 p.m. and ended up parking at the Griswold Youth Center, according to the warrant affidavit. Once there, Rivard got into the driver seat before a worker at the center complained about the sound of the vehicle’s engine revving, the warrant affidavit said.

The man told troopers Rivard drove them back to the bar in Plainfield and he claimed that he told Rivard to slow down, noticing at one point that he was going about 70 mph, the warrant affidavit said. The man said he saw a man and woman walking in front of the Jewett City Pizza Palace where Rivard reportedly struck the woman, which led to the passenger getting glass in his knee when the windshield shattered, according to the warrant affidavit. The man said he developed a bruise on his shoulder and arm from what he believes was Fortuna’s body hitting him during the crash, the warrant affidavit said.

Immediately following the crash, state police said they were able to quickly identify the vehicle involved as a dark Subaru WRX between the years 2015 and 2021 that had damage to its front passenger side from the crash. This information was shared with area police departments before an officer in Stonington spotted a vehicle matching the description on Flanders Road hours after the crash, according to state police.

A drug recognition expert responded to the scene and said he believed Rivard was under the influence of alcohol, the warrant affidavit said. Investigators allege that his speech was slurred “with his words flowing together” and that he had bloodshot watery eyes and an odor of alcohol on his breath, according to the warrant affidavit.

Rivard has been held on a $500,000 bond since his first arrest in the hours after the crash, court records show. State police said he was arrested on additional charges during an appearance in Norwich Superior Court.

A judge set bail at $100,000 on the new charges, records show. Rivard is due back in court on May 31.