Posted at: 11/18/2009 10:13 AM | WHEC.com
Updated at: 11/18/2009 11:04 AM

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Police officer charged in deadly "dash cam" crash

Milford, Connecticut Police have released the chilling video of the crash that killed two teens in June. The video shows Officer Jason Anderson's car racing by another Milford cruiser at 94 mph before slamming into the car carrying Ashlie Krakowski and David Servin, both 19.

The dash cam in Milford Officer Richard Pisano's records his cruiser traveling around 70 mph and shows Anderson's vehicle speed by. Moments later, Anderson's cruiser collides with the teens' car, which appears to be turning into the path of the cruiser. The impact sends sparks and debris flying.

The video also shows a few things that aren’t obvious at first glance.
 
Anderson passes Pisano on the right, which is illegal in Connecticut, His lights and siren are off.
 
It also shows both officers drive through red and flashing yellow lights right before Anderson hits the teens' car at the intersection of Dogwood and Boston Post roads.

"It may appear that the Anderson vehicle is not traveling at that high a rate of speed… but that’s not true because to get a true perspective of the vehicle going in excess of 90 mph, you have to be outside of the vehicle going 70 mph," Attorney John Wynne, who represents Krakowski's father, said.
 
This impact destroyed the teens' car, threw Krakowski 30 feet from the car and trapped Servin inside until firefighters extricated him.

The officers were returning from a mutual aid call at the Utopia Café in West Haven and Wynne said the accident was completely avoidable.

"They weren’t responding to a call. Their lights and sirens weren’t on. It was 2:15 in the morning and they were just returning back to Milford," he said.

Anderson was suspended with pay from the Milford Police Department, arrested by State Police and charged with manslaughter. He is due in court on November 24.
 
"His conduct was so egregious and reckless that it brought these deaths and that's why he was charged," Wynne said.

The Milford Police Chief will not comment on the video until after the internal investigation is completed.

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