PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Paul L. Matthews, 63, of Barrington, who police said became distracted and caused a head-on collision Saturday on the Mount Hope Bridge in Portsmouth, died of head injuries, it was reported Tuesday by the state medical examiner's office.
State Police Capt. Frank B. Castellone said Matthews "was somehow distracted" when he jerked his van to the left, striking an oncoming vehicle. Matthews was travelling south on the bridge.
He said Matthews was not wearing a seat belt.
A preliminary investigation ruled out drunken driving as a cause of the crash, Castellone said.
Matthews' passenger, Lenor C. Andrade, of Warren, and four people in the other vehicle -- driver John Kelchner and passengers Susan Kelchner and James and Ann Hitchen, all of Portsmouth -- were injured.