A 44-year-old Enfield man was killed Thursday in a crash on Interstate 91 south near Exit 36, according to Connecticut State Police.
Matthew W. Bennett was driving a 2003 Honda CR-V when his vehicle and a 2022 Mazda CX-5 made contact between the Exit 36 off- and on-ramps at about 5:11 p.m., police said. Investigators have not said why the vehicles collided.
After the contact, Bennett’s Honda struck a metal guardrail and rolled across the highway, coming to rest on the left shoulder, according to an accident summary from Troop H. He was not wearing a seat belt. Windsor EMS took him to Hartford Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
The occupants of the Mazda were not injured.
The crash damaged about 60 feet of metal guardrail on the right shoulder. State police said the rail does not need immediate repair.
Bennett was best known as the bassist for The_Network, an aggressive hardcore punk and grindcore band formed in New Hampshire that performed in southern New England.
Bennett played bass on the band’s final full-length studio album, Bishop Kent Manning, released in 2009. The album was highly regarded in underground metal and hardcore circles for its technical intensity and uncompromisingly heavy production.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to help cover funeral expenses, medical bills, and any unforeseen urgent expenses he may have left behind.
The case remains active. Anyone who witnessed the crash, or who was traveling on I-91 south near Exit 36 at the time and has dash-camera footage, is asked to contact Connecticut State Police Troop H at (860) 534-1000 or Trooper Joshua Durant at Joshua.durant@ct.gov.
