10 Hurt in Special Needs Van Crash on Route 4

Ten people were hospitalized including an infant after a distracted driver rear-ended a van carrying special needs passengers on Route 4 in East Greenwich Thursday morning.

State Police Lieutenant Colonel Michael Winquist told WPRI that a woman driving in a sedan with an infant in the back seat became momentarily distracted, striking the van in the high speed lane and causing it to spin out.

The van came to rest against the center guardrail. All eight of the passengers were transported to area hospitals in addition to the woman and the infant.

At least seven rescues from surrounding towns responded to the scene.

At least one person was seriously injured when one of the van's windows was smashed.

The crash caused traffic on the highway to back up as far south as Route 1 for a time.