A driver was ejected through the passenger-side window of her own vehicle during a one-car crash on I-95 southbound Saturday morning, but she was found conscious and alert when officers arrived. The crash remains under investigation, with no other vehicles or occupants involved.
According to WJAR, the crash unfolded when the driver lost control of her vehicle and struck a high-speed barrier, according to Rhode Island State Police. The car then crossed the highway and struck a low-speed barrier on the other side, police told the station. At some point during the violent sequence, the female driver was thrown out of the passenger-side window.
Despite the severity of the crash, responding officers found her conscious and alert at the scene, the station reported. She was transported to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment.
No Other Cars Involved, Investigation Continues
Police confirmed there were no other occupants in the vehicle and no other cars involved in the crash, according to the same report. State troopers have not released additional details about what caused the driver to lose control, and the investigation remains ongoing.
This is not the first time a vehicle crash on I-95 in the Providence area has sent drivers to the hospital in recent memory. A three-car crash on I-95 southbound near Branch Avenue hospitalized two people and briefly closed the interstate on a Friday night, with state police saying one of those hospitalized suffered serious injuries while the other sustained only minor injuries, per a separate report from the same outlet.
Ejections Can Prove Deadly on Major Highways
Being ejected from a vehicle during a crash carries serious risk, as a past incident elsewhere on the same interstate illustrates. In June 2019, a rollover crash on I-95 in Attleboro, Massachusetts left two people dead and nine others seriously injured, according to WCVB. All 11 occupants of the van involved in that crash were ejected, the station reported at the time.
Saturday's crash on I-95 southbound did not result in those kinds of outcomes, with the driver surviving and remaining alert despite being thrown from the vehicle. State police have not yet released further findings as the investigation continues.
