TIVERTON, R.I. -- A Tiverton man was critically injured, his friend killed, when the car they were traveling in hit a pole on Route 81, catapulting the car into a wooded area east of the road, the police said.
At 1:23 Tuesday morning, the police were summoned to an area known as "Arruda's Curve" on Stafford Road, as Route 81 is known locally, for a report of a "loud crash."
Rescuers cut through the mangled 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix to reach Seth A. Poe Demoura, 21, of 386 Canonicus St. The Tiverton man, a passenger in the car, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he remains in serious condition, a hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday morning.
The driver, Bryan Henrique, also 21, of 35 Sheldon St. in Tiverton, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The authorities said the men appeared to have been speeding south on Stafford Road when the crash occurred. Investigators are looking into whether the driver had been drinking.
The original version of this story was published at 7:42 a.m.