PORTSMOUTH, R.I. - State Police are investigating a head-on crash on the Mount Hope Bridge on Saturday that killed a Barrington man and injured five others.
Paul L. Matthews, 63, of Heritage Road, Barrington was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the GMC van, Lenor C. Andrade of Long Lane, Warren was headed into surgery on Sunday morning, according to State Police Corporal John C. Shelhart who gave this account:
Matthews' van was traveling south on the bridge, towards Portsmouth, around 7 p.m. when it crossed left of the center line and collided head-on with a Toyota RAV driven by John Kelchner of Robin Road, Portsmouth. Kelchner and passenger Susan Kelchner were treated and released from Newport Hospital.
Two other passengers in the Kelchner car, James and Ann Hitchen of Bay View Avenue in Portsmouth were still at Rhode Island Hospital Sunday morning with non-life threatening injuries.
Shelhart said the State Police accident reconstruction unit is still investigating what happened.
The bridge, closed for close to three hours, was reopened around 9:55 p.m. Saturday.
-- An earlier version of this report was published at 9:34 a.m.