Three Killed In Back-To-Back Weekend Crashes

Three people were killed in a string of unrelated crashes on Interstate 95 North over the weekend that happened within half an hour, according to Rhode Island State police. Two of the crashes were single vehicles, while the third was a good Samaritan who stopped to help at another crash.

"This was a terrible morning on our highways and one I hope to never see again," State Police Col. James Manni said. "Alcohol, excessive speed and reckless driving appear to be factors in these incidents and as a result, three families have lost loved ones. [Sunday'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."

The first happened just after 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, on I-95 North near Branch Avenue in Providence. The driver swerved off the left side of the road, hitting a tree. The victim, later identified as 22-year-old Joseph Abreau, was thrown from the vehicle in the crash and pronounced dead at the scene. Speed is believed to have been a factor in the crash.

Anyone with information that could aid in the investigation is urged to contact the state police's Lincoln barracks at 401-444-1100.

The second crash happened approximately 15 minutes later, also on I-95 North, this time near Exit 30 in Pawtucket. An off-duty nurse, 34-year-old Jennifer Toscano, of Stoughton, Massachusetts,stopped to help the driver of the rolled-over vehicle, police said. She was hit by a red vehicle that drove off.

Police later found the vehicle. The driver, Luis Baez, 22, of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, was charged with

• Driving under the influence of liquor and or drugs, resulting in death
• Driving so as to endanger, resulting in death
• Leaving the scene of an accident, resulting in death
• Operating on a suspended license, first offense

Baez was held over the weekend and arraigned in Providence District Court on Monday.

The third crash happened only moments after the second, around 1:50 a.m., near Exit 3 in Richmond. According to police, the car, a 2015 Hyundai Sonata, swerved off the right side of the highway, hitting several light poles and a tree before bursting into flames.

Several passersby stopped and pulled the victim, 25-year-old Brian Joseph Scacciaferro of Niantic Connecticut, from the burning car. Scacciaferro was rushed to Kent County Hospital, where he died on his injuries. Speed and alcohol are believed to have been factors in the crash.

"We have increased patrols and we respond to every call, but bad behavior continues to make our highways incredibly dangerous and these deaths were all preventable," Col. Manni said. "We need motorists to slow down, buckle up, and not drive impaired. If you see someone driving dangerously, we encourage you to call 911 and help us to make our roadways safer."

"Two persons drove so dangerously that they died gruesome deaths," the Rhode Island Department of Transportation said. "A third driver killed a nurse who had stopped to help someone in another accident. None of this had to happen. Three people dead in twenty minutes. Think about it."