Crime & Safety

Driver In Fatal Route 4 Accident May Have Been Distracted

State Police tell the Providence Journal one of the drivers may have been reaching for something on the floor at the time of the accident.


The accident on Route 4 in East Greenwich Friday afternoon that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Sullynette Sanchez and the premature birth of her baby may have been caused by a driver who was distracted, State Police said Sunday.

According to a story in the Providence Journal, one of the drivers in the three-car accident may have been distracted by a wallet that had fallen to the floor before he rear-ended Sanchez's car.

State Police Lt. Douglas Newberg said that the driver, who had not yet made a formal statement to police, mentioned that to paramedics.

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His vehicle crashed into a car driven by Sanchez, who had slowed or come to a stop on Route 4 north just south of the Frenchtown Road overpass (Route 403) at around 4 p.m. Friday.

The cause of the accident is still being investigated, according to the state police.

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Sanchez, 23, was taken to Kent Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. . According to comments on EG Patch and Facebook, the baby is a boy and is in intensive care but is stable.


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