Old Lyme Woman Charged with DUI Following Fatal Accident

The holiday weekend ended in tragedy when a car collided with a motorcycle on I-95 in East Lyme, killing the motorcycle driver and sending three others to hospital on July 8.

Christiana Morton-Lane, 23, of Old Lyme was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after she failed a field sobriety test following the fatal accident, police said.

According to the police report, the car driven by Morton-Lane initially swerved into the guard rail on the ramp to I-95 South at Exit 72 in East Lyme. After scraping along the wire rope for some 100 feet, the car then crossed the ramp and ran over a grass verge before pulling onto I-95 South, where it collided with a motorcycle driven by Robert Burr, 35, of Clinton.

A second motorcycle, which was following behind Burr’s in the right lane, slammed into the first bike. Both riders were thrown off.

Burr was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel. His passenger, Emily Gorin, 30, also of Clinton, was transported to Hartford Hospital via Life Flight with serious, life-threatening injuries. As of last night, police said they were unaware of any change in her condition.  

Dwaine Wilcox, 49, of Westbrook, who was driving the second motorcycle, and his passenger Sharon Gell, 52, of Guilford, were both transported by East Lyme ambulance to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital to be treated for moderate physical injuries.

Morton-Lane was not injured in the collision.  

The accident, which forced the closure of I-95 Southbound and stopped traffic for hours on Sunday night, is still under investigation. Police say Morton-Lane could face additional charges depending on the outcome of the investigation, which is likely to take a month or so to complete.