A Connecticut state trooper died after crashing into the back of a tractor trailer, just months before he was due to retire.
Trooper First Class Kevin Miller, 49, was travelling east on I-84 in Tolland at the time of the horror crash about 12.30pm on Thursday.
The father-of-two was due to retire from Troop C at the end of summer after serving 19 years with the state police, graduating from the academy in 1999.
Connecticut State Trooper First Class Kevin Miller, 49, died after crashing into the back of a tractor trailer, just months before he was due to retire
The father-of-two (pictured in 1981 at school, left) was due to retire from Troop C at the end of summer after serving 19 years with the state police, graduating from the academy in 1999
Police were investigating how the crash took place, and were unsure if Trooper Miller was wearing a seatbelt when he suffered fatal injuries.
The driver of the tractor trailer, Melvin Prentiss Purvis, 58, from Alabama, was not injured in the crash.
State flags were flown at half-staff to honour Trooper Miller and police and firefighters lined the street as his body was driven home.
The procession first took his body from the crash site to Troop C for a memorial before moving on to the medical examiner in Farmington.
State flags were flown at half-staff to honour Trooper Miller and police and firefighters lined the street as his body was driven home
Dozens of firefighters lined the streets to salute their fallen comrade
Flags were hung from overpasses along I-84 and hoisted on top of tower ladders, cranes, and fire engines as dozens paid their respects.
Hartford Police Chief David Rosado, a former state trooper, joined his men and firefighters on the roadside as the convoy drove through the city.
‘We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the tragic loss of Trooper First Class Miller – a man who dedicated his life to serving the people of Connecticut,’ Governor Daniel Malloy said.
Neighbour John Fields remembered the last time he saw Trooper Miller, beeping his horn and waving as he drove away the day before he died.
‘He’s a real kind, gentle guy, soft-spoken. Great guy. Couldn’t have asked for a better neighbor,’ he told NBC.
Police and firefighters stand on an overpass overlooking I-84 as the procession drives past
The procession first took his body from the crash site to Troop C for a memorial before moving on to the medical examiner in Farmington