Suspect Arraigned Following DUI Crash in Cranston That Resulted in Serious Injuries to 4-Year-Old

Suspect Arraigned Following DUI Crash in Cranston That Resulted in Serious Injuries to 4-Year-Old

The Cranston Police Department has arrested a man after a motor vehicle crash seriously injured a four-year-old child and resulted in the driver’s arrest. 

According to Cranston Police, on Wednesday May 31, at approximately 8:39 PM, officers responded to the Farmington Avenue and Dyer Avenue intersection for a motor vehicle crash with injuries. 

One of the occupants was a four-year-old child who sustained serious, non-life-threatening injuries, including a laceration to his head. The child was transported to Hasbro Children's Hospital and continues to be hospitalized. 

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The operators of both vehicles and one other passenger in the second vehicle were transported to Rhode Island Hospital with minor injuries. 

The driver of the car containing the four-year-old passenger, identified as Jose Duque Morales, age 37, of Providence, displayed signs of impairment and was subsequently arrested at the hospital on the charges of Driving While Under the Influence of Liquor/Drugs Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Driving While Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor/Drugs with a Passenger Under the Age of 13. 

 

About Incident

According to police, based on a preliminary investigation by the Cranston Police Department Traffic Unit, Morales was operating a convertible Mustang (with the top down) at a high rate of speed east on Farmington Avenue.  

He failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection of Dyer Avenue before being struck broadside by a second vehicle (a Chevy Silverado pickup) traveling north on Dyer Avenue that had the legal right of way. 

The impact caused the Mustang to spin 180 degrees on Farmington Avenue before striking a stockade fence on private property. The four-year-old was in a booster seat in the rear of the vehicle at the time, and it did not appear Morales was wearing a seatbelt, according to police. 

The Silverado pickup spun 180 degrees and came to rest in a driveway of a nearby residence. Witnesses to the crash provided statements, and video footage obtained from a home is being reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.

Morales was arraigned on the charges in 3rd District Court Thursday morning. Bail was set at $10,000 personal recognizance and loss of license. His next court date is August 31, 2023 for a Pre-Arraignment Conference.