« Providence "heroes" honored tonight | Today | Haz-mat team responds to suspicious package »

October 30, 2006

Update: Driver in Woonsocket fatal charged with DUI

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Woonsocket police Lt. Kenneth Paulhus, left, and Detective Edward Doura investigate the scene of the triple fatal accident at Cold Spring Park. The car went through the park fence and hit the tree, far right, at the bottom of the hill in the park.

WOONSOCKET – Two brothers and a third young man are dead after the car they were traveling in left the road and hit a tree last night.

The driver of the car, Patrick G. Coyle, of 41 Congress St., Woonsocket, was the only one to survive the wreck. He was treated at Rhode Island Hospital and released to the custody of Woonsocket Police.

Coyle has been charged with three counts of driving under the influence, death resulting, and driving to endanger, death resulting.

Late this morning, two of the victims were identified by their mother, Paula Mariano of Woonsocket, as brothers Victor Vasquez, 24, of Northbridge, Mass., and Steven Vasquez, 21, of Woonsocket. The police confirmed the identities and the name of the third victim, Travis Thifault, 20, during a brief afternoon news conference.

The accident occurred at about 10:45 p.m. at the intersection of Winter Street and Harris Avenue, near Cold Spring Park.

Two of the men were dead at the scene, and a third man was pronounced dead at Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, Capt. Ronald Landry said. The police said all four men were in their early 20s.

All four men remained in the vehicle during the crash. The police have not determined whether they were wearing seat belts, Landry said.

The accident remains under investigation, Landry said.

The state medical examiner will conduct autopsies to determine the cause of death, Landry said.

-- projo.com staff writer Kate Bramson, with reports from Journal staff writer Cynthia Needham

Posted by Steve Peoples  at 4:01 PM | Permalink

Comments

Michelle | November 1, 2006 10:01 PM link

josie | November 6, 2006 12:23 PM link

Post a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments: (you may use HTML tags for style)