Joel Costa and Jonathan Welch Remembered After Deadly I-295 Collision in Rhode Island

 Two Massachusetts men, Joel Costa and Jonathan Welch, died after a serious collision on Interstate 295 in Cumberland, Rhode Island, leaving families and communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island grieving. Rhode Island State Police said the incident occurred Thursday afternoon near the Mendon Road overpass, where several vehicles were involved. The investigation remains active as authorities work to establish the sequence of events that led to the deadly impact and determine whether additional details can clarify what happened.

The incident was reported at approximately 3:31 p.m. on I-295 North. Troopers arriving at the scene found a Dodge Ram 1500, a Hyundai Ioniq and an Acura ADX involved in the collision. The Hyundai and Dodge had sustained extensive damage, and both drivers were initially trapped inside their vehicles. Emergency crews worked to remove them, while the Hyundai, an electric vehicle, began smoldering and later became fully engulfed after its driver had been extricated.

Authorities identified the Hyundai driver as 29-year-old Joel Costa of Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Costa was pronounced dead at the scene. The Dodge driver, 44-year-old Jonathan Welch of Norton, Massachusetts, was transported to Rhode Island Hospital for medical treatment. Despite efforts to save him, Welch later died from injuries associated with the collision. The loss of both men has brought profound sorrow to their families, friends and the communities where they lived and were known.

Investigators said several witnesses reported seeing the Hyundai traveling in a reckless manner before the collision. According to the preliminary account, witnesses described the vehicle as moving at a high rate of speed and passing other motorists by using the grassy median on the southbound side of the interstate. Police said the Hyundai then entered the median, struck the center guardrail and crossed into the northbound lanes, where it collided with the Dodge.

The force of the impact caused the Dodge to overturn onto its passenger side before it sideswiped the Acura. The Acura sustained minor damage, while the two primary vehicles involved were left heavily damaged. The sequence described by investigators is preliminary, meaning it remains subject to further review as evidence, witness accounts and other investigative findings are examined. Authorities have not announced a final determination about every factor involved in the collision.

State police also reported that neither Costa nor Welch was wearing a seat belt when the collision occurred. That information is part of the ongoing investigation and does not, by itself, establish what caused the incident or determine responsibility. Investigators may continue reviewing vehicle positions, physical evidence, witness statements and other available information as they reconstruct the events. Additional findings could provide a clearer understanding of how the vehicles entered the same path of travel.

For the families of Costa and Welch, the investigation is secondary to the deeply personal reality of losing someone they loved. Joel Costa was only 29, while Jonathan Welch was 44, and both deaths represent years of memories, relationships and future plans abruptly cut short. Friends, relatives and coworkers now face the difficult task of remembering them while coping with grief. Their communities may continue to learn more as investigators complete their work, but the human impact is already unmistakable.

The I-295 collision serves as another reminder of how quickly conditions on a busy interstate can change and how devastating the consequences can be when vehicles cross opposing lanes of traffic. For now, authorities continue examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Costa and Welch. As their families mourn, those who knew them are left with memories of two Massachusetts men whose lives ended unexpectedly on a Rhode Island highway. Their loved ones deserve compassion, privacy and support as the investigation moves forward.