A Newport man has been arrested on DUI charges after his truck struck a man riding a motorized mobility scooter in a crosswalk on Memorial Boulevard Wednesday night, sending the victim airlifted to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
Officers responded at approximately 10:39 p.m. Wednesday to 11 Memorial Blvd. after reports of a man lying on the sidewalk. Investigators determined the victim had been crossing northbound through the painted crosswalk at Memorial Boulevard and Chapel Street when he was struck by a gray Toyota Tacoma driven by Jose Monterroso Villagran, 47, of 44 Warner St., Newport. The force of the collision threw the victim from his scooter approximately 30 feet into the median along the westbound lane of Memorial Boulevard.
The victim was transported by Life Flight to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Villagran was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of liquor or drugs resulting in serious bodily injury and driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .10 to .15, both first offenses.
Preliminary findings indicate the crosswalk’s safety warning devices were not manually activated at the time of the collision. The incident is under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division and Traffic Investigation Unit, with assistance from the Rhode Island State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit.
Anyone with information can contact Detective John Sullivan at jsullivan@newportri.gov.
