Woman killed in crash with Canadian band’s bus

[StoneMtn]

Woman killed in crash with Canadian band’s bus

Mar. 19, 2006. 11:39 AM

DANBURY, Conn. (AP-CP) — A collision between a car and a tour bus carrying the Canadian country-western band Leahy killed the New York woman who was driving the wrong way on Interstate 84 early Saturday morning, authorities said.

No one on the bus was injured.

Police said the car driven by Jeri DeFabbia, 21, of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., was travelling west in the eastbound lane of I-84 when the accident occurred around 1:30 a.m.

Leahy, an eight-member family band from Lakefield, Ont., that often appeared with singer Shania Twain, had just performed at West Point, N.Y., and was headed for a booking in New Bedford, Mass.

Members of the group could not be reached immediately for comment. Their booking agent did not return calls, but the band did perform Saturday night in New Bedford, according to the Danbury News-Times.

DeFabbia, a community college student and aspiring screenplay writer, had spent the evening at a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration at a local club, the News-Times reported. She was pronounced dead at the scene after her car crashed head-on into the bus.

DeFabbia’s vehicle was badly damaged and there was extensive front-end damage to the bus, with the front window smashed and grillwork twisted, the newspaper said.

“We got there about 2:30 a.m. and had to wait an hour before we could hook up the bus,†tow truck driver James Modzelewski of Modzelewski Towing and Storage told the News-Times. “It was pretty nasty, one of the worst I’ve seen. I’ve seen bad ones.â€

The accident is under investigation by Connecticut State Police.

Toronto Star Article here.