PROVIDENCE, R.I. - - A 69-year-old Cranston man is dead after his car hit a guardrail on a downtown Providence exit ramp, Thursday morning, according to the police.
Providence Police Commander Thomas F. Oates III said the man might have suffered a medical issue before the accident, which happened around 12:20 a.m. The police are awaiting the results of an autopsy.
Police identified the man as Thomas Rao, of Cranston.
Sgt. Paul Zeinowicz said that Rao was traveling east on Route 6 and took the downtown Providence exit ramp when his car left the travel lane, hit sign posts and the guardrail and flipped on its side.
Oates said that when the police arrived, Rao was trapped in his vehicle and was taken out of the car by the Providence Fire Department. He was unresponsive and appeared not to be breathing. Oates said he was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
-- The original version of this report was published at 10:08 a.m.