By Jack Perry
The Providence Journal, R.I.
CRANSTON, R.I. — A Johnston firefighter died in a motorcycle crash Monday, according to the Cranston police.
Richard Gemma, 45, of Cranston suffered a traumatic head injury in the crash at the intersection of Belgium Avenue and Felicia Drive, the police said.
At about 5:05 p.m. Tuesday, patrol officers were dispatched to a call for the crash, according to a press release from Cranston Police Chief Col. Michael J. Winquist. When they arrived, the police officers saw a 2017 Harley Davidson Road Glide motorcycle resting on its side and bystanders attending to a person lying next to a guardrail at the intersection, the police said.
The police say a preliminary investigation by the Cranston Police Department Traffic Unit revealed that Gemma was traveling north on Belgium Avenue. As he approached the left-hand turn onto Felicia Drive, his front tire struck the curbing on the west side of the roadway, causing the motorcycle to veer suddenly to the right.
Although Gemma tried to apply his brakes to regain control, the momentum caused him to be thrown from the motorcycle and strike his head on the ground, just beyond the curbing at the end of Belgium Avenue, the police said. Gemma was not wearing a helmet. The motorcycle slid across the roadway before coming to rest next to Gemma, the police said.
Gemma was taken to the Rhode Island Hospital by the Cranston Fire Department, where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy by the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office is pending, according to the police.
The police are still investigating what caused Gemma to strike the curbing. Speed doesn’t appear to be a factor, according to the police.
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©2019 The Providence Journal (Providence, R.I.)