SWANSEA – A tractor trailer hit a disabled van and went off Interstate 195 east in Swansea, coming to rest in the trees in the median just before Exit 3 Tuesday at 6:35 a.m.
Traffic was snarled from the Bristol-Warren exit to the accident site at Mile 6. The eastbound highway was squeezed to two lanes at the site of the accident.
Four state police cruisers and several tow trucks were on hand. State Police reported two injuries, one serious enough to require the driver to be taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. Rescue crews were still working on the second person injured, trying to determine if that driver needed hospital attention, troopers reported.
The accident remained under investigation at 7 a.m. Details about the events and the names of those involved were not yet available.
Swansea Fire responded to deal with the fuel leak from the tractor trailer.
The truck was wedged in the maple and ash trees that grow at the raised crown of the median in that part of the highway. The tractor and trailer were still attached, though the trailer was at a sharp angle to the truck. The entire rig was about halfway between the eastbound and westbound lanes.
Traffic continued flowing but was reduced to 10 mph through the area just before 7 a.m.
Email Kevin P. O’Connor at koconnor@heraldnews.com.