One person has been killed, and four others have been injured in Rhode Island after a car crashed into a Subway restaurant while traveling at what witnesses say was a high rate of speed.
The deadly incident unfolded Wednesday afternoon in Greenville, just outside of Providence.
“I thought to myself like ‘wow, the car was going so fast.’ I was actually pretty shocked and then I saw that it kept just going and going,” a witness told WPRI.
Joshua Piti, a worker at the Subway who arrived at the parking lot just prior to the accident, told the station that the vehicle appeared to be traveling around 70 mph.
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Witnesses say the vehicle crashed into this Subway restaurant in Greenville, Rhode Island, while traveling at a high rate of speed. (Google Maps)
“It was crazy. I couldn’t believe it,” he was quoted as saying. “I was just about to go into work, so it could’ve been me.”
The Smithfield Police Department, in a statement, told Fox News Digital that it and the town’s fire department “found a vehicle crashed into the business with multiple persons injured” after responding to a call around 3 p.m. local time.
“Four victims were transported to Rhode Island Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Sadly, one victim was pronounced deceased at the scene,” police said. “The driver of the vehicle was transported to Miriam Hospital.”
Police also said the deceased’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
“This matter is being investigated as a motor vehicle accident, with no further threat to public safety,” Smithfield Police added. “The cause of the crash, and any contributing factors, remains under investigation.”
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A witness told WJAR that the driver just “kept going more fast” before eventually crashing into the Subway restaurant. (Google Maps)
Smithfield Deputy Fire Chief Steven Quattrini told reporters at the scene that two people were found trapped underneath the car inside the Subway and its employees were among those injured.
The driver, who has not been identified, was described by witnesses as an older man who sped from one end of the shopping plaza’s parking lot to the other in a white Volvo sedan, according to WPRI.
“I thought he was going to turn, but he didn’t turn. [He] kept going more fast, more fast and then hit into the Subway,” John Tu, who owns a nearby nail salon, told WJAR following the crash.
Video footage showed the car being towed away from the scene with extensive damage to its front hood.
The Subway restaurant is now boarded up, and a Rhode Island State Police drone also was seen hovering over the area during the investigation, WPRI reports.
The Smithfield Police Department tells Fox News Digital it is currently investigating the matter as a motor vehicle accident. (Smithfield Police Department)
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“The business was heavily damaged and is closed until further notice,” Smithfield Police said about the Subway. “The adjacent Planet Fitness also sustained damage and is currently closed.”
