EAST PROVIDENCE — The exact cause in the vehicular death of a 23-year-old city man in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 23, was still being determined by law enforcement personnel as of mid-week.
According to Chief Chris Parella, East Providence Police were putting the finishing touches on the accident reconstruction, seeking to learn what led to the fatal crash. The chief did say, however, “speed definitely played a factor without question…speeding and reckless driving were certainly factors.”
The car driven by Daniel D. Lopes, of East Providence, struck a tree in front of the U-Haul dealership on North Broadway at approximately 3:30 a.m. Saturday. Mr. Lopes, of 151 Vanderland Ave., was driving north at the time of the crash.
Early indications led police to believe Mr. Lopes, alone in the car at the time, appeared to have lost control of the vehicle while emerging from Rebello Tunnel. The car jump the median, striking a traffic sign, then turned slightly and slide before striking the tree on the driver’s side at the “B” pillar.
East Providence Firefighters on the scene shortly after the crash used the Jaws of Life for some 15 minutes, a significant amount of time according to Chief Parella, to remove the victim from the Lexus sedan and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital where he was later pronounced dead from the injuries he suffered.