Police release name of Massachusetts victim, details, concerning Rhode Island van crash

The Cranston Police Department is continuing to investigate the fatal accident that occurred Monday night just after 8:45 p.m. on Scituate Avenue in the area of 2150 Scituate Avenue.

The crash involved two white work vans that collided head on in the east bound lane. One van was a newer model 2015 Ford Transit Van and was being used as a healthcare supplier of compressed oxygen. Inside this healthcare van, owned by Life Supply Corporation in Ludlow, was approximately 44 oxygen cylinders (1-300lb, 3-100lb, 40- 8/10lb cylinders). Three 100 lb. oxygen cylinders were leaking as result of the crash and were removed from the van by the healthcare company before the van could be moved for further investigation. Any spark or flame could ignite, and oxygen is a highly compressed type of fuel for any ignition source.

A total of three occupants were involved in the crash and it required a complicated extrication to remove two occupants of the healthcare van due to the amount of damage sustained in the crash.

The male driver of the healthcare van was pronounced deceased at RI Hospital. He was identified as 61-year-old Garrison Gonzalez, of Leominster, MA. The passenger with Gonzalez, as well as the other operator sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

There were no indications of driver impairment at this time in the investigation. The investigation remains ongoing being investigated by the Cranston Police Traffic Unit. Our condolences go out to the Gonzalez family.