NIANTIC MAN KILLED IN I-95 CRASH IN RHODE ISLAND

A Niantic man was killed early Sunday morning when his car crashed and burst into flames on Interstate 95 near Exit 3 in Richmond, R.I.

Rhode Island state police said Brian J. Scacciaferro, 25, was transported to Kent County Hospital but died as a result of his injuries. The crash remains under investigation, but police said speed and alcohol appear to be contributing factors in the 1:49 a.m. crash.

Police said their preliminary investigation shows that Scacciaferro’s 2015 Hyundai Sonata was northbound on the highway when it left the right side of the road, struck several light poles and a tree, and was then engulfed in flames. Several good Samaritans stopped and were able to remove him from the car. State Police encourage anyone who may have witnessed the crash or has additional information to call their Hope Valley barracks at (401) 444-1068.

The crash was among three on I-95 involving fatalities that Rhode Island state police responded to within 18 minutes early Sunday morning.

At 1:31 a.m. they responded to a crash on the highway in Providence in which a Providence man struck a tree and was ejected. Police said speed played a role in that crash.

At 1:44 a.m., state police said a 33-year-off duty nurse from Stoughton, Mass., stopped to help the driver of a car that had rolled over on I-95 in Pawtucket. The woman was then struck by the driver of another car that fled. Police later stopped the driver, a man from Jamaica Plain, Mass., and arrested him.

“This was a terrible morning on our highways and one I hope to never see again,” said Col. James M. Manni, the superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and director of the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety. “Alcohol, excessive speed and reckless driving appear to be factors in these incidents and as a result, three families have lost loved ones. Last night’s tragic death of a Good Samaritan – truly the first responder at the scene of a crash – is a horrifying reminder that we have a shared responsibility to make our roads safe.”