RI Car Accident Lawyer News – Mount Hope Bridge Fatal Crash Kills One and Injures Three

rhode island car accident attorneyIn RI car accident lawyer news, a man was killed in a car accident on Mount Hope Bridge in Portsmouth, RI this past week, snarling traffic for over three hours.

The driver of the vehicle was 63 years old Paul L. Matthews who perished on the scene.

He was driving his GMC Savannah northbound on the bridge when the car crossed the center line and struck the oncoming traffic. A Toyota RAV4 driven by John Kelcher, 65 of Portsmouth was struck head on by the oncoming vehicle.



Matthew’s passenger, 49 year old Lenor Andrade of Warren, Rhode Island was taken from the scene of the accident to Rhode Island Hospital where she is currently in stable condition but was seriously injured.

The other vehicle driver Kelcher and his wife, the passenger were treated for injuries and released from Rhode Island Hospital.

Although alcohol has been ruled out as a cause of the crash, it is still being investigated by Rhode Island state police.

RI State Police did relay that Matthews did suffer from a pre-existing medical condition, but were unclear on whether that was a determining factor in the Rhode Island car accident.

State Police also stated some of the victims in the crash were not wearing seat belts as well, which could have minimized injuries.

RI Car Accident Lawyer Warns: Always Wear Your Seat Belt

More often than not, its not you that you have to worry about when you step into your car each day to drive to work, take the kids to soccer practice or drive to the gym.

But you are taking your life into your own hands every time you take the wheel of your car – so take the necessary precautions whenever possible and this includes wearing your seat belt.

As the Centers for Disease Control clearly states, seat belt use is the most effective way to reduce injuries in a car accident.

As a RI car accident lawyer that sees many victims of car accidents, seat belts do save lives. Although you cannot control the other drivers actions, but you can control your own safety with the usage of seat belts.

As the leading cause of death among those ages 5-34, more than 2.3 million adult drivers and passengers were treated in emergency departments as the result of car accident crashes each year.

Amazingly, millions of people do not wear seat belts on every trip they take in their vehicle.

Minimize All Tech and Text Distractions As Well

As one of the leading cause of car accidents (and although it was not implicated in the car accident here on the Mount Hope Bridge by police as of yet), driving while distracted is a terrible killer on the road.

As a RI car accident attorney, one very effective technique I advise all my personal injury clients is when they get into their car, take your iPhone or Android and place it either in the glove compartment or the center console, completely out of sight.

This way you are not tempted to respond to text message, emails and Facebook updates.

Out of sight…out of mind.

This one technique that when used, can save thousand of lives on our Massachusetts and Rhode Island roadways.

If Injured in an Accident, Contact a RI Car Accident Lawyer

And of course, if you are injured in a car accident not due to your fault, then after you are treated for your injuries, don’t contact your insurance company.

Remember, they are not on your side. They are a profit making machine which their entire goal is unfortunately not to help you, but to help themselves maintain high profits.

Contact someone who is actually on your side – and although you may not think you are the kind of person who contacts Massachusetts of Rhode Island personal injury lawyers – call one anyway. It costs you nothing to do it.

Call a car accident attorney who specializes in personal injury law relating to car accidents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Call us at 1-800-200-7752 or just fill out our contact form. We are here to help you.