Pedestrian, officer involved in fatal crash identified

Posted 11/27/19

By BEACON STAFF

An investigation remains ongoing after a Warwick Police cruiser fatally struck a pedestrian Monday night on West Shore Road.

In a statement released Wednesday, police identified …

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Pedestrian, officer involved in fatal crash identified

Posted

By BEACON STAFF

An investigation remains ongoing after a Warwick Police cruiser fatally struck a pedestrian Monday night on West Shore Road.

In a statement released Wednesday, police identified the pedestrian as 25-year-old Brian Adams of Warwick Avenue. The officer involved has been identified as Thomas Paine, who has been with Warwick Police since 2017.

Chief of Police Col. Rick Rathbun said authorities are awaiting the results of Adams’s autopsy. He said that as protocol dictates following an officer-involved death, Paine has been placed on paid administrative leave. The attorney general’s office and Rhode Island State Police are involved with the probe.

The chief said he is also sensitive to the protections provided under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights and declined to comment further.

“This is a very active investigation involving the State Police,” he said.

Rathbun did add that at the time of the crash, Paine was “just driving down the road, no [emergency] lights or sirens.”

In an initial statement Tuesday, police said the accident occurred at 11:17 p.m. on Nov. 25. According to the statement, the pedestrian later identified as Adams “ran into the path of the marked police cruiser” near the intersection of West Shore Road and Sunny Cove Drive. Police say at least one other vehicle on the road at the time nearly struck the pedestrian as well.

Police say Adams was transported to Kent Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Tuesday’s statement indicates an initial investigation by Warwick accident reconstruction officers and State Police found that “there was no impairment on the part of the officer, speed was not a factor in the crash and that there is no evidence of distracted driving as contributing causes in the collision.” Police have also said Adams was not in a crosswalk at the time of the accident.

On Wednesday morning, a small memorial to Adams had been created at the base of a utility pole near the scene of the crash. Two bunches of flowers had been placed at the site, with one bearing a card that reads: “Our prayers and thoughts are with you all the time.”

According to an obituary submitted Wednesday, Adams is survived by a daughter, his parents, a sister and two nephews.

“Brian was devoted to his daughter and nephews, and was very involved in their lives,” the obituary reads. “He also loved fishing and spending time with family and friends.”

Visiting hours and a funeral are scheduled for Dec. 2.

Comments

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  • perky4175

    what was the guy doing out walking around at that hour see it all the time people just run out in the road with out looking like the girl at honey dew

    Friday, November 29, 2019 Report this

  • Warwick_Resident1998

    Supposedly he had already crashed his car while DUI then left the car. That’s why he was on foot.

    Friday, November 29, 2019 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    On the pedestrian topic, not regarding this person, amazing how many idiots walking on and sometimes in the street at night in all black/dark clothing. They are hard to see.

    Saturday, November 30, 2019 Report this

  • SCOT63

    Did you think that maybe the officer was doing what they do best which i think should be illegal looking up information on his computer checking somebody's information (distracted driving)

    Monday, December 2, 2019 Report this

  • RISchadenfreude

    This incident is a lose/lose situation all around: A young father is gone, with his own behavior contributing to his end and a young police officer who is being tried in the "Court of Public Opinion" in online comments, on social media and on barstools and at coffee counters.

    No matter the outcome of the investigation, certain folks will call it a "whitewash, "coverup", etc., in spite of the fact that it is being investigated by an outside agency and all the protocols for an on-duty fatality T/A seem to have been followed.

    My sympathies to the victim's family, as well as to an officer who is about the same age as the victim and spent Thanksgiving focusing on the incident and investigation instead of family.

    Regardless of the outcome, I hope he can move on and if he is exonerated, return to duty and continue his career; either way, you can be sure he will never forget what happened.

    Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Report this

  • SCOT63

    Being investigated by their own!!! Outside my a** it will be the same results the blue gang will prevail!!!! :(

    Wednesday, December 4, 2019 Report this

  • Apollo

    Ever since Rathbun took over the department has been going down hill, or just bad luck.

    To name a few examples, Boardman in a roid rage I mean road rage breaking window off-duty .

    The un-named cop that totaled an suv. No follow up on that just swept under the rug.

    The pedestrian struck and killed in this news story.

    The list goes on and on.

    I think that the Mayor picked the wrong guy to lead the dept. and probably should let some one else try before something else bad happens

    Thursday, December 5, 2019 Report this

  • Apollo

    RISchadenfreude

    I wonder how fast the cop was going. WPD drive too fast. Only 1% of calls are life and death, everthing else let it ride.

    Even when no lights and sirens you see them zooming by, it's unbelievable.

    I'd love to see a State Trooper pull over a WPD lol.

    Also, I saw other night while driving on highway WPD doing radar on I-95 ! Hey WPD you're not State Police. No reason why WPD should be on route 95 unless asked to respond by State Police. The public pays for the city to be protected not the highway.

    Thursday, December 5, 2019 Report this

  • Samuel

    Thin blue go back in your mom's basement and play Grand Theft Auto. The adults are talking here and just because you're 35 you still don't qualify.

    Thursday, December 5, 2019 Report this

  • RISchadenfreude

    scot63,

    I covered your predictable, repetitive response to all things police-related in paragraphs 1& 2...you could have just kept building your gallows instead of stopping to comment.

    Samuel,

    Thanks...couldn't have said it better myself.

    Friday, December 6, 2019 Report this

  • Apollo

    If not enough work resorting to guys being up on the highway it's time to down size. I know the dept. is top heavy too Public info how many are rank.

    Friday, December 6, 2019 Report this

  • Apollo

    Truth hurts

    Friday, December 6, 2019 Report this

  • Apollo

    You dont see any other dept but State on the highway.

    Cranston isn't on highway. Nor is Providence...etc

    It has the inage of Trooper want a be.

    Friday, December 6, 2019 Report this

  • Apollo

    Exactly Apollo

    Friday, December 6, 2019 Report this

  • SCOT63

    RISchadenfreude let me put this plain & simple another police agency investigating another, we already know the results!!! THE BLUE GANG PROTECTING EACH OTHER!!!!

    Friday, December 6, 2019 Report this