3 hurt as 2 vehicles crash on Route 177 in Tiverton

TIVERTON — A swerving box truck full of appliances overturned and a sport utility vehicle crashed into a brick stoop, both on Bulgarmarsh Road on Wednesday shortly after 1 p.m., sending three people to hospitals.

A man in his 20s or 30s was pinned under the box truck and was Life Flighted from nearby Tiverton Middle School to Rhode Island Hospital with what rescue workers said they believed were serious injuries, Fire Captain Joseph Plocica said.

The Life Flight, based in Worcester, headed to the Providence trauma hospital about 2:30 p.m.

He said the vehicle, with Rhode Island plates, swerved a couple of times before flipping over near the intersection of Mulberry Road. The man was conscious, he said.

Officials at the scene said he was ejected and was the driver of the 28-foot truck, which was headed westbound on the state road, Route 177.

A male passenger in the truck, in the same age range, was transported by Little Compton rescue to St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, Plocica said.

He said town fire officials from Tiverton and Portsmouth assisted the Rhode Island Department of Transportation cleaning up a contained oil spill at the site.

About 150 feet down the road from the white truck, a red Dodge Durango headed eastbound crashed into the brick stairs at 750 Bulgarmarsh Road. Portsmouth rescue transported one occupant of that vehicle to a local hospital, Plocica said.

Both fire and police were on the scene and an investigation is continuing.

Efforts to reach Tiverton Police Chief Patrick Jones, the department spokesman, were unsuccessful.

The road was closed for a couple of hours during rescue and cleanup operations, officials said.

This story will be updated should additional information become available.

Email Michael Holtzman at mholtzman@heraldnews.com or call him at 508-676-2573.