She was already deep into the wrong lane when other drivers started seeing her—headlights where there shouldn’t be any, a car moving toward them at full speed on a bridge with nowhere to go.Gail Lopes, 69, from Tiverton, Rhode Island, had somehow entered the eastbound lanes of I-195 going westbound, and by the time emergency calls flooded in around 7:45 p.m. Thursday, it was already too late. Her white Toyota collided with two vehicles that were traveling correctly in the eastbound lanes over the Braga Bridge, and she died at the scene. The two other drivers, both alone in their cars, were hurt but survived and were rushed to nearby hospitals. What makes this even more unsettling is the dash-cam footage
She was already deep into the wrong lane when other drivers started seeing her—headlights where there shouldn’t be any, a car coming toward them at full speed on a bridge that offered no shoulders, no exits, and no room for error. Gail Lopes, 69, of Tiverton, Rhode Island, had somehow entered the eastbound lanes of I-195 going westbound, and by the time
multiple frantic 911 calls poured in around 7:45 p.m. Thursday, there was nothing anyone could do to stop what was coming. Moments later, her white Toyota struck two oncoming vehicles on the Braga Bridge with devastating force, triggering a chain-reaction crash that left her dead at the scene.The two other drivers—each traveling alone—were injured but survived.
First responders moved quickly, navigating evening traffic and the tight confines of the bridge to reach the victims. Paramedics transported both drivers to nearby hospitals with injuries described as serious but not life-threatening. Troopers shut down the bridge for hours as investigators reconstructed the crash, measured skid marks, and reviewed debris patterns to understand how
Lopes ended up traveling the wrong way on one of the region’s most heavily used crossings.What makes the tragedy even more unsettling is the dash-cam footage already circulating among authorities. Early reports from investigators describe the video as chilling: a vehicle appearing suddenly in the wrong direction, headlights fixed and steady, with no sign of braking or swerving before impact.
The footage is now a key part of the ongoing investigation, which will also examine whether medical issues, impairment, or disorientation played a role in the fatal wrong-way entry point far down the highway.For family and friends, the footage offers no comfort—only the harsh confirmation of a horrific final moment. The crash has left the community shaken, reminding drivers how quickly familiar roads can turn dangerous when even a single vehicle crosses the line.
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