Executive Summary
- Juan Archila, 43, was arrested following a fatal crash on I-295 in Cranston, Rhode Island.
- Witnesses allege the victim’s vehicle was forced off the road by another driver before striking a tree.
- The victim, identified as 23-year-old Casey Bassignani, was pronounced deceased at Rhode Island Hospital.
- Archila is charged with Driving to Endanger – Death Resulting and is held on $50,000 surety bail.
A Providence man has been arrested and charged with a felony offense following a fatal vehicle collision on Interstate 295 in Cranston, according to the Rhode Island State Police. The crash, which occurred on the afternoon before Thanksgiving, resulted in the death of a 23-year-old driver from Johnston.
Troopers from the Scituate Barracks responded to reports of a single-motor vehicle crash on Route 295 South, near Plainfield Pike, at approximately 3:40 p.m. on Wednesday. According to the police report, witnesses at the scene stated that a Honda Accord traveling in the high-speed lane was forced off the roadway by another vehicle. The Honda subsequently entered the center median and struck a tree.
First responders identified the operator of the Honda as Casey Bassignani, age 23, of Johnston. Cranston Rescue transported Bassignani to Rhode Island Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased. Following an investigation, state police located the operator of the second vehicle involved, identified as 43-year-old Juan Archila of Providence.
Archila was taken into custody without incident and charged with Driving to Endanger – Death Resulting. Authorities confirmed he was held overnight and arraigned before a Justice of the Peace on Thursday morning, where bail was set at $50,000 surety. He was subsequently remanded to the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI).
Legal and Investigative Outlook
The charges levied against Archila carry significant weight under Rhode Island traffic and criminal statutes, as investigators rely on witness testimony regarding the alleged aggressive driving maneuver that precipitated the fatality. As the proceedings move to the Third District Court for a scheduled bail review hearing, the focus will likely remain on forensic reconstruction of the crash dynamics to corroborate the accounts that the victim was forced off the highway. It is important to note that all individuals, including Archila, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
