Providence Teen Killed in Friday Night Crash on I-95 South

WARWICK, RI — RI State Police report a Providence teen was killed on Rte. 95 south near the Jefferson Boulevard exit Friday night when the car she was driving struck a guardrail and was disabled, it lights broken, before a tow truck struck it.

 

State Police Captain Matthew Moynihan said that at 11:20 p.m., the teen, Jasmine Reyes, 16, of 105 Pocasset Ave., Providence, who was not licensed, was driving the 1999 Toyota Corolla belonging to her friend, Thomas Dimauro, 18, of 39 Whipple Ave., Warwick. Reyes lost control of the car,  striking a guardrail, causing the car to spin around and stop in the first lane of travel, disabled, its lights broken and extinguished,  said RI State Police Captain Matthew Moynihan.

A short time after, a tow truck, also headed south in that first lane of travel, struck the car, Captain Moynihan said. The impact forced the car to spin across the highway, coming to rest against the center barrier. Reyes was ejected from the vehicle. It’s unclear whether she had been trying to get out of the car when it was struck, or if she was ejected upon impact, Moynihan said. Reyes was taken to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries.

The driver of the tow truck, Leonard Sherman, 38, of 217 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston, suffered minor injuries, as did Dimauro, according to State Police.

Parts of the highway were closed until about 1:55 a.m. while the Rhode Island State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit and Forensic Services Unit investigated, with the aid of troopers from the Wickford and Lincoln Barracks. Warwick Fire and Rescue and Warwick Police also assisted at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation, Moynihan said. Speed does not appear to have been a factor, and there were no signs of impairment by either driver. It is unclear whether the victim was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the initial crash.