Health Dept. To Test Blood of Driver Charged in Fatal Crash

The Rhode Island Department of Health will test the blood of a suspect charged in connection with a fatal crash that claimed the life of a former Bristol man last week in Portsmouth. 

WPRI.com reports Portsmouth police obtained a search warrant for the blood of Joseph Kalen, 49, of Bristol, who is charged with driving under the influence (DUI), death resulting, and refusal to submit to a chemical test. 

Kalen allegedly refused to submit to a blood test after the three-vehicle crash on June 12 on Bristol Ferry Road in Portsmouth. 

The Department of Health will now test his blood alcohol count at the time of the crash, reports WPRI.com. 

Kalen was charged on June 12 after the vehicle he was operating struck a 2005 Lexus, operated by Elia Giusti, 79, of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Giusti, a former Bristol resident, was transported by ambulance to Newport Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

The Ford F-150 also collided with a third vehicle, a 2006 Ford F-150 operated by Brian Leitao, 26, of Warren. Leitao was treated and released from the hospital. 

Family and friends will gather to remember Giusti at funeral services this Wednesday and Thursday in East Providence.