Bristol County man killed in fiery rollover highway crash remembered for his constant smile, big heart, contagious laugh

A Bristol County man who died from injuries sustained in a violent and fiery highway crash is being remembered.

44-year-old Jonathan Welch of Norton, who was on his way home from work, died after the vehicle he was operating was reportedly hit by another vehicle.

According to Rhode Island State Police, at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, multiple 911 callers reported a multi-vehicle rollover crash on Route 295 North near the Mendon Road overpass in Cumberland.

Upon arrival, Troopers observed a Dodge Ram 1500, Hyundai Ionic, and an Acura ADX in the left lane.

Troopers observed that the lone occupants of the Dodge and the Hyundai were trapped inside their cars and that the Hyundai, an electric vehicle, was beginning to smolder. Both operators were extricated from their vehicles by fire/ rescue personnel before the Hyundai was fully engulfed in flames.

Multiple witnesses described the Hyundai driving in a reckless manner, speeding, and overtaking other vehicles in the grassy median on the southbound side of Route 295. Just prior to the crash site, furrows in the grassy median indicated that the Hyundai veered left, entered the median, struck the center guardrail, and entered the left lane of travel on the northbound side. Now traveling southbound in the northbound left lane, the Hyundai struck the Dodge head-on. After impact, the Dodge rotated and rolled onto its passenger side, sideswiped the Acura and both the Hyundai and Dodge came to rest in the left lane.

The operator of the Hyundai, Joel Costa, age 29, of Hyde Park, Massachusetts, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Welch died at the hospital and the loss is being felt across southern New England.

According to friends and family, Welch, who almost died in an ATV crash in 2004, loved hard. Whether it was a sporting event for his daughter or younger relatives or a special event, he would not only show up, but would be the life of the party in the best way, always having a smile on his face.

Welch was considered funny and kind. The positive adjectives used to describe him by loved ones were many.

He had a contagious laugh and the biggest heart, and was a pro at making you forget your troubles. Now that big heart is gone through no fault of his own, leaving a hole in the hearts that he has left behind.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created for funeral expenses and his 15-year-old daughter.

Services have not yet been announced.