Milford woman charged in fatal parkway accident

Taylor Madison Stanford, 23, of High Street, Milford, was arrested on a warrant in connection with the accident that killed Michael Zawadski, 45, of Judson Place in Stratford. Stanford charged with DUI, reckless driving and second-degree manslaughter. The accident happened shortly after 4 p.m. on May 27, 2017 on the southbound Wilbur Cross Parkway in Orange. less Taylor Madison Stanford, 23, of High Street, Milford, was arrested on a warrant in connection with the accident that killed Michael Zawadski, 45, of Judson Place in Stratford. Stanford charged with DUI, ... more Photo: State Police Photo Photo: State Police Photo Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Milford woman charged in fatal parkway accident 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A 23-year-old Milford woman who was driving a car that killed a Stratford man has been charged with DUI, reckless driving and second-degree manslaughter.

Taylor Madison Stanford, of High Street, was arrested on a warrant in connection with the crash that killed Michael Zawadski, 44, of Judson Place in Stratford.

The incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. on May 27, 2017, on the southbound Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15) in Orange.

According to state police, both Stanford’s and Zawadski’s vehicles were traveling south near Exit 57. Stanford’s Volkswagen Jetta was traveling in the left lane “at a high rate of speed,” and her vehicle veered left off the road and ran over a curb located in the median, police said.

The Jetta struck Zawadski’s 1998 GMC Jimmy, according to the accident report. Zawadski’s vehicle rolled over two and one half times, ejecting him, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stanford’s traveled off the road colliding with a wire rope guardrail in the right shoulder. She was partially ejected from the vehicle and Yale New Haven Hospital.

According to the arrest warrant, Stanford told a nurse there that she was driving to a friend’s graduation party, but was unable to recall the events leading up to the crash.

When a state trooper asked her if she remembered any details of the crash, she “started crying hysterically and stated that she was ‘so sorry,’ ” police said.

The trooper smelled “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating” from her mouth. And medical records showed Stanford had “detectable traces of both ethanol and cannabinoids in her blood and urine,” police said. Her blood alcohol level was 0.16 — double the 0.08 threshold for a DUI charge.

State Police arrested Stanford at her Milford home Friday evening. She was released after posting a $50,000 bond, and is scheduled to appear in Derby Superior Court on July 16.

According to Zawadski’s death notice, he was born in Bridgeport, and was a longtime area resident. He graduated Foundation High School in Milford. He was a member of the East Coast Swamp Fliers RC flying club and loved flying planes with his good friend, Tim Maud. He was predeceased by his wife Melissa Fama Zawadski.