BURRILLVILLE – The driver of a motorcycle that collided with a car on Route 102 on Monday, July 31 was pronounced dead on the scene.
Brenden Mendes, 19, of Cumberland, died in an accident at the intersection of Broncos Highway and Lapham Farm Road according to a release on Tuesday from the Burrillville Police Department.
Burrillville police were reportedly called to the scene of the fatal crash around 6:10 p.m.
Col. Stephen Lynch said a police investigation revealed that Mendes was the driver of a motorcycle that crashed into a 2014 Toyota, operated by Michael DeFrange, 72, of Burrillville, which had already turned from Lapham Farm Road onto Route 102 northbound.
The impact of the 2018 Yamaha – which was traveling southbound – crashing head-on with the car resulted in Mendes being thrown from the bike and landing on the side of Route 102, approximately 300 feet from the point of collision.
Lynch said that Mendes was tended to by several motorists who stopped to assist him, along with members of the Pascoag and Oakland-Mapleville EMS units, but was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.
Both LaFrange and his passenger were transported to Landmark Hospital for treatment of their injuries from the crash.
Police found that the speed at which Mendes was traveling, as reported by several witnesses, was a factor in the accident.
The crash remains under further investigation by the Burrillville Police Department and the state of Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office.
Glocester Police reportedly assisted with the closing of Route 102 in the area of Lapham Farm as Accident Reconstruction Officers worked on scene for several hours.
Editor’s note: The above article has been updated to include the latest information from the Burrillville Police Department.
Some sources say the motorcycle was traveling in excess of 150 mph. Traffic light won’t fix that recklessness. So sad.
SADLY THIS IS ONE ACCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED! I STOPPED RIDING BECAUSE OF OTHERS NOT PAYING ATTENTION IN ME ALMOST LOSING MY LIFE! IT’S DIFFERENT WHEN YOU’RE THE ONE WHO’S OUT OF CONTROL SPEEDING RISKING YOUR OWN LIFE AND ALSO RISKING INJURING OR KILLING OTHERS! I’M SO SADDENED FOR THE FAMILY BUT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!
Speed on two wheels kills!