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SWANSEA -- In a swarm of holiday weekend traffic on Route 195 east, three people were seriously injured yesterday afternoon when a driver lost control of a sport-utility vehicle during a test drive and ran into a tree.
The driver, William Niewola, 32, of Fall River, is a salesman for Metro Subaru in Somerset and was on a test drive with two potential customers, Beth Cabral, 26, and Martha Simmons, 38, both of North Kingstown, R.I., when the accident occurred shortly before noon.
Fire and rescue personnel used a hydraulic cutting tool and winches to extricate the three people from a crumpled Subaru Forester. The extrication took 40 minutes, according to Swansea Fire Chief Peter Burke.
Burke explained that the vehicle was wrapped around the tree and had to be pulled off before rescue personnel could remove the roof and doors. "They were all on top of each other," Burke said of the passengers who, once extricated, were immediately transported by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital.
Last night, Niewola and Cabral, the two front-seat passengers, remained in critical condition, although both are expected to live, the police said. Simmons was reported to be doing better and was in guarded condition at the hospital.
According to state police Trooper Joseph Kuszay, the vehicle was probably traveling too fast as it came down a highway entrance ramp from the Swansea Mall and Route 6. Kuszay said that heavy rain and slippery conditions contributed to the accident, as well as operator error. In light of recent Firestone tire recalls, police said the accident had nothing to do with faulty tires.
"He swerved to the right, hit the hill and jettisoned sideways," Kuszay said. "The roof hit the tree first."
Although no one was charged in connection with the accident at the scene, Kuszay said that Niewola would likely be charged following further investigation of the incident.
Nearly 40 firefighters and rescue personnel from Rehoboth, Seekonk, Swansea and Somerset assisted in the extrication. State and local police closed Route 195 for a short period during the rescue effort in an attempt to speed the arrival of ambulance crews. Police also made several calls for rescue helicopter support, but bad weather prevented any air units from assisting.
A small group of approximately 20 people gathered on the side of the highway and watched while firefighters labored to remove the trapped victims.
"People inside were just panicked and screaming," said one bystander who arrived shortly after the accident occurred but before the police arrived.
When firefighters were finally able to reach Niewola, who appeared trapped underneath the vehicle's steering wheel, paramedics quickly began assisted-breathing procedures and Niewola was loaded into a waiting ambulance.
Police said that bad weather combined with increased traffic due to the Labor Day holiday caused a rash of accidents throughout the region yesterday. In Somerset, five accidents had occurred by early evening, although no one was seriously injured. "Today was a very careless day for people," said one Somerset police dispatcher.
Metro Subaru manager Charles Soule declined to comment on the accident.
-www.projo.com The Providence Journal
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