Update: Slater patient flees taxi, hit by bus from ACI / photo
3:20 PM Tue, Jul 07, 2009 | Permalink
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Providence Journal photo / Steve Szydlowski State Police investigate the report of a pedestrian struck on Route 95 north, just before Thurbers Avenue.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A woman in a cab returning her to Eleanor Slater Hospital caused the taxi to hit a Route 95 guardrail, then jumped out and ran across all four southbound lanes, climbed over the Jersey barrier and was trying to cross the northbound lanes when she was hit by a sheriff's bus transporting prisoners from the Adult Correctional Institutions, the State Police said Tuesday. State Police Capt. James Swanberg said Stephanie Bedard, 24, was in the back seat of the southbound cab with a hospital staff member just after 11 a.m. Tuesday. She got upset, Swanberg said, and attacked the driver, causing the cab to strike the guardrail on Route 95 southbound just north of Elmwood Avenue. "Fortunately the bus was traveling slow due to traffic," Swanberg said, Bedard was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, which confirmed she was there but had no report yet on her condition. A second bus was sent to finish the prison transport, Swanberg said. State fire officials reported a backup of heavy traffic, possibly because of the accident, and advised rescue trucks from communities to the south to take other paths if headed for hospitals in Providence. The accident was cleared by 12:12 p.m., according to the Traffic Management Center, -- With reports by Journal staff writer Donita Naylor The Providence Journal has been following this story as it develops. Our initial report was poste at 11:53 a.m. 
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Tragic.
Expect more awful accidents to happen with this new set up near my beloved Thurbers Ave exit 18. Since the Iway's final off-ramp was opened, it is now a death wish to move over into the exit 18 lane while traveling south on Route 95, because all the traffic from East Prov. and Mass. coming over the IWAY are doing 65 mph plus when the lanes meet. You have to move over 2 whole lanes to try an get the Exit 18 ramp. What a terrible plan.
I hope the pedestrian did not suffer life threatening injuries
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I agree but they don't care about that...In a few years they will spend more money and revamp the whole project into another obstacle course that is even worse than the one we have now!!!!!
This won't be the last accident , I am sure many will end up in worse shape!
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Matt
How do you blame this accident on the IWAY? This person caused a cab to crash, jumped out, ran accross the southbound lanes, hopped over the median, and was struck by a bus going north when she attempted to cross those lanes of the highway.
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Matt, first this has nothing to do about you inability to drive a motor vehicle on a freeway. This incident is about mentally challenged person running across a busy highway. I suggest you read the whole story, and also consider driving lessons.
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Why was a potentially violent psychiatric patient in a TAXI? Granted I hated doing those runs when I worked at a private ambulance, but that's what they're for- to prevent this sort of disaster.
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Excellent Driver and JD, while you think you are right in accusing me of being misinformed, I was, because I posted first. I submitted my post around noon and they didn't get to it until 1:55 pm.
READ the time of when the initial report came out (11:53 am) and when I first posted. This developing story was only a few sentences long when I posted and didn't contain ANY of this new information. So, it could have very well been in line with my post before I knew this person darted across the southbound to the northbound lanes.
Way to assume Excellent driver. I'm sure you are the exact opposite sort of person on the road, who feels entitled enough to go under such a ridiculous alias in this state, the state of the worst of the worst drivers.
Exit 18 is a huge problem now with the new IWAY. everything else about the new highway is great, except the huge looming accident trap that is moving over to exit on Exit 18. Expect more and more reports of fatal and near fatal accidents to come from this location on Route 95.
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I live in East Providence and usually come off the Veterans Parkway. I too have to cross 2 lanes of traffic if I want to get on the 95S IWay. Do you know what I do? I suck it up and merge....
This is a small state, the smallest in fact and there's only so much room through the Providence area. Common Sense.
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