Motorcycle Crash Victim Charged with DUI

Tiverton police charged the victim of a March motorcycle crash with driving under the influence following a five-week investigation into the cause of the collision.

Mathias Daigle, 57, of 114 Barlow St, Apt. 2, Fall River, MA, was charged with driving under the influence, first offense, after Tiverton police received the results of blood samples taken by the hospital after Daigle was air-lifted in following the crash.

Blood sample's revealed that Daigle's blood-alcohol level was .116 at the time of the accident, said Capt. Patrick Jones of the Tiverton Police Department.

Tiverton Police obtained a search warrant for Daigle's medical records during its investigation into the collision where Daigle's 2001 Harley Davidson collided with a 2009 Mazda CX-9 on Shove Street near the Massachusetts state line on March 29.

The driver of the Mazda, Nancy Braddock, 37 Rolling Green Drive, Fall River, MA, was reportedly traveling south on Shove Street preparing to turn left onto State Avenue when the crash occurred at 8:59 p.m. Both Daigle and the motorcycle were wedged underneath Braddock's vehicle. 

Tiverton and Fall River police departments were on scene within six minutes and Diagle was extricated from under the vehicle and transported via Tiverton rescue to St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River. En route to the hospital, Daigle went into cardiac arrest, but Tiverton emergency medical technicians were able to resuscitate and stabilize him enough to transport him via Med Flight to Rhode Island Hospital.

Braddock was not injured in the crash.

Daigle was wearing a skull cap-style helmet at the time of the crash.

"While he was wearing a helmet, the skull cap, it wasn't a full-fledged DOT-approved helmet," said Jones.

Motorcycle drivers are not required to wear helmets in Rhode Island, but passengers are required by law to wear helmets. Daigle's helmet would not have met state Department of Transportation guidelines for an appropriate helmet for a passenger, according to Jones.