Van Driver Hit by Connecticut Commuter Train Was Drunk

The driver of a van struck by a Metro-North train in Norwalk in February has been charged with drunken driving, and authorities say his blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

The Hour of Norwalk reports that 36-year-old Jeffrey Acuna of Bridgeport was charged with driving while intoxicated Wednesday by Metropolitan Transportation Authority police.

Acuna was arraigned in Norwalk Superior Court and released on a promise to return to court April 10.

An arrest warrant says Acuna crashed his van into a snowbank next to the Glover Avenue railroad crossing and it got stuck on the tracks. No one was injured in the crash, but there was track damage.

Acuna has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer, Ryan O’Neill, says he disputes the police determination of the accident’s cause.