UPDATE: Police identify motorcyclist struck by minivan
By: News Staff
Email: news@abc6.com
Twitter: @ABC6
WARWICK, R.I. — A man is in the hospital Wednesday in critical condition after a minivan slammed into his motorcycle in Warwick Tuesday night, according to Warwick police.
The accident happened on the intersection of Warwick and Church Avenue.
When ABC6 News arrived on the scene, the motorcycle was in pieces.
Officials say the man driving the motorcycle was 28-year-old Robert Brierly from Cranston.
A motorcycle and minivan smashed into each other causing a loud bang and many people in the area said it sounded like an explosion.
“I was sitting in a van and I just heard a smash,” said witness William Thompson.
“The noise of the crash was horrifying, I came running right out,” said another witness, Charlene Webster.
The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Warwick and Church Avenue.
According to Warwick police, the minivan was turning onto Church Avenue when it hit the motorcyclist. The impact was so severe it threw Brierly onto the grass nearby.
“I looked over in the grass and I saw the body, and I could tell the guy was breathing.
And then an elderly lady got out of the van, and she was crying,” said Webster.
The 28-year-old was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries and is in critical condition.
The minivan driver was 67-year-old Deborah Brown from Warwick.
Alcohol and drugs have been ruled out as causes of the crash, but police are still investigating a few other possibilities.
“We’re looking into speed and distracted driving,” said Captain Rick Rathbun of the Warwick Police Department.
Crews blocked off the roadway and performed accident reconstruction for several hours.
People in the area told ABC6 that the intersection is dangerous and they think more needs to be done to keep people safe.
“They need to put cameras over here in this intersection and monitor it very well,” said Thompson.
Police say that after cold springs, motorcyclists tend to all hit the roads as soon as it gets warmer.
They want to remind all drivers to share the roads to prevent accidents such as the one from Tuesday.
Police say no charges have been filed and the investigation continues.
©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017
