A sailor died last month after the car he was traveling in went the wrong way down an interstate and collided with another vehicle, killing a passenger in that sedan as well, according to Connecticut State Police.

Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Eric J. Ramakers, 37, was riding in a Lexus just before 1 a.m. on Dec. 16 when the driver, Jose Gonzalez, motored north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 95, according to police and Navy records.

Gonzalez’s vehicle collided with a Prius, killing Ramakers and 26-year-old Lorna Valcin, a Massachusetts passenger in the Toyota, according to police.

Police and a Naval Safety Center summary of the collision stated that Gonzalez is a sailor as well, but Navy Personnel Command officials said they have no records for a sailor with that name stationed at Naval Submarine Base New London in nearby Groton.

“The operator Gonzalez and passenger Ramakers are both identified as active-duty sailors,” state police spokeswoman Trooper 1st Class Tanya Compagnone said in an email.

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Gonzalez was also injured in the wreck, and the accident closed the highway for about six hours, according to police.

Compagnone said the investigation continues.

“There are no charges yet, however, when toxicology results are in and the remaining reports are completed, I am certain there will be,” she said.

Originally from Arizona, Ramakers enlisted in 2000 and pinned on his current rating in 2012.

He had served at the Groton health clinic since 2017, according to his service records.

Geoff is the editor of Navy Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.

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