• May 17, 2017

Jasmine Reyes Killed in Warwick, RI, Tow Truck Accident

Warwick, RI -- May 12, 2017, Jasmine Reyes was fatally injured in an accident where her vehicle was struck by a tow truck after a crash.

The Rhode Island State Police continues to investigate the fatal incident, which they say occurred at around 11:20 p.m. in the southbound lanes of I-95.

According to preliminary details, 16-year-old Reyes was driving a vehicle which belonged to her passenger, 18-year-old Thomas DiMauro. As they traveled, the vehicle somehow lost control and struck the guardrail on the side of the highway. As the disabled vehicle sat on the roadway, it was suddenly struck by an oncoming tow truck which failed to see the car in time.

Due to the second collision, Reyes sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. DiMauro sustained minor injuries, as did the tow truck driver, 38-year-old Leonard Sherman.

Police did not report any additional details surrounding this accident.

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Commentary

I've been seeing reports indicating that Miss Reyes was unlicensed when this occurred. While some people may focus on that issue, the real key details here has to do with the second collision involving the tow truck. I've seen a lot of accidents like this, where a truck crashes into a disabled or wrecked vehicle, and there is always one key factor which must be addressed: How much time passed between the car stopping and the truck crashing into it?

Obviously if the car crashed into the wall directly in front of the tow truck, it's entirely reasonable that the truck driver would be unable to stop or maneuver out of the way in time. However, if several moments or even minutes passed before the collision, it begs the question, "Why was the tow truck unable to avoid the collision?" There could be any number of reasons this happened--some of them beyond the driver's control, and some of them entirely avoidable.

A thorough investigation must be done to clear up the details surrounding this accident so that it can be determined whether or not this tragic accident could have been avoided, and exactly why it wasn't.

--Grossman Law Offices

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