ACCIDENT: Crash victim was to be married this weekend

Staff Reports
Niagara Gazette

September 29, 2008 08:01 pm

— A Youngstown woman was one of two people killed in a head-on car collision on the eastbound lane of the I-290 early Sunday morning.
Debra L. Richards, 38, was on her way to pick up her her fiancé at the airport when her car was struck by Justin L. Martin, 30, of Maryvale Drive, Cheektowaga, who police said was driving the wrong way down the roadway.
Richards was planning to get married this weekend at the Stone Jug, where Richards worked for 16 years.
Martin graduated from Kenmore’s St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in 1996 and worked as a customer service supervisor at Geico insurance company. His friends have already started a tribute group on the Facebook Web site, describing him as “smart, funny, talented and kind.”
Foggy conditions were cited as a possible contributing factor to the 4:10 a.m. crash, but the fact that Martin had a 2003 conviction of driving while ability impaired by alcohol has raised other questions about why the man possibly drove the wrong way all the way from Millersport Highway.
While alcohol use is always an avenue to be explored in a situation like this, Lt. Nick Bado said there is no evidence one way or another at this point.
“The toxicology reports probably won’t be available for a few weeks,” Bado said.
Autopsies were scheduled for Monday at Erie County Medical Center. Four others were injured in what was eventually a six-car pile up.

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