R.I. man gets prison time in 2022 motorcycle crash that injured 8

A Rhode Island man was sentenced to nine to 12 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to a slew of charges in connection with a May 2022 Northfield, Massachusetts, crash that seriously injured eight motorcycle riders. 

Prosecutors said Ryan O’Farrell, 34, veered into oncoming traffic with his SUV and trailer before crashing into five motorcycles the afternoon of May 29, 2022. O’Farrell had an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old in the car with him at the time, and several witnesses at the scene reported that he seemed to be impaired. 

As part of his guilty plea, O’Farrell admitted he was under the influence of Suboxone at the time of the crash, the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office said in a press release. According to Harvard Medical School, Suboxone is a medication used to treat opioid addiction. While Suboxone can be misused, it causes significantly less euphoria than other opiates such as heroin and oxycodone, HMS explains. 

O’Farrell pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs; five counts of negligent operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs resulting in serious bodily injury; two counts of endangerment of a child under 14 by operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs; negligent operation of a motor vehicle; five counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury; two counts of assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon; and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. 

Citing O’Farrell’s criminal record, driving history, and the severity of the victims’ injuries, Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Matthew Thomas asked for a sentence of 12 to 15 years in state prison. 

“Some of the victims lost limbs, livelihood, and are now confronted with very different futures than they would have enjoyed before that day. These futures, thrust upon them by O’Farrell, are days and nights of acute pain, economic uncertainty, and emotional trauma,” Thomas stated in a sentencing memorandum, according to the DA’s office. 

In a separate memo, defense attorney Jeanne Early said O’Farrell has “always accepted responsibility for what happened on May 29, 2022.” She said the Westerly High School and Community College of Rhode Island graduate developed a drug addiction after he was prescribed oxycodone for injuries he sustained in a car crash, but that he had worked hard to turn his life around. Early, who was not immediately available for comment Monday afternoon, also asserted there were other medical issues that could explain O’Farrell’s behavior on the day of the crash. 

While Early recommended her client receive five to seven years in prison, Judge John Agostini opted for a higher sentence and noted O’Farrell’s “substantial criminal record that suggests he is indifferent, at best, in complying with the law,” according to the DA’s office. 

“While we realize that no outcome in court can undo the tremendous harm caused by the defendant, we hope today’s guilty plea and sentence bring some measure of justice and closure to the victims in this case,” Thomas said in a statement.