Man Dies in Early Morning Car Accident Last Week

A Narragansett man died in a traffic accident at about 12:40 a.m. on Sept. 23, according to Narragansett Police.

Police said they received a report of an accident by the Canonchet Beach Club on Boston Neck Road. According to police, the operator of a 1999 Town and Country Chrysler minivan had hit a gate support pole at the club’s entrance.

The man was identified as John K. Breese, 64, of 807A Boston Neck Road, Narragansett.

Police said a large amount of smoke and fire was coming from under the hood of the minivan. According to police, Breese was slumped over the passenger seat, unconscious.

Patrolman James Fitzgerald used a baton to break the driver’s side window and gain access to the minivan. While Sgt. Eric Ryan attempted to extinguish the fire with his car’s extinguisher, Fitzgerald moved Breese from the minivan to a safe distance away.

According to Fitzgerald, Breese did not have a pulse, and CPR was administered. Patrolman Kevin O’Connor assisted until Narragansett Rescue arrived and transported Breese to South County Hospital.

The fire was kept at bay with several other extinguishers, until the fire department could respond to put it out completely.

According to police, an accident reconstruction suggested that Breese had struck a curb near the Dunes Club, causing his minivan to then hit the brush-filled median and travel uncontrolled on Boston Neck Road, before finally hitting the gate support pole. Police said there were no skid marks at the scene.

Police met a family member of Breese at the hospital. She told police that he had called her at 12:30 a.m., complaining of chest pains. He told her that he was going to drive himself to the hospital. After calling him back and getting no response, she drove to the hospital.

A doctor at the hospital pronounced the time of death as 1:23 a.m.