Sarah Doiron, Allison Shinskey, and Matt Paddock
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — The investigation continues into a crash that killed a 22-year-old motorcyclist Thursday morning.
The motorcyclist, identified as Tyler Burrows, was riding down West Shore Road when he collided with a pickup truck that was turning left onto Winifred Avenue.
Burrows was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Laurie Schoonmaker, Burrows’ grandmother, tells 12 News he was “a good kid.”
“I loved him to pieces with all of my heart,” she said. “He just had a good heart and that’s what I’m going to miss.”
Schoonmaker tells 12 News her daughter died in a house fire two years ago, and Burrows made sure no one ever forgot his mother.
“He missed his mother so much that everyday he’d come home and say, ‘Nana, I got another picture’ or ‘I got another flower,’” Schoonmaker recalled.
“I never thought I’d have to go through it all over again,” she continued. “Especially with a 22-year-old boy with a heart of gold.”
Following his mother’s death, Schoonmaker said she and her grandson were inseparable. Burrows would take her shopping, go swimming with her, help her with yard work and even cook her dinner.
“Since we lost his mom, he kind of stepped up to the plate,” she said.
The pickup truck driver, a 61-year-old Warwick man, was not injured in the crash. He is not facing any charges at this time.
Speed and impairment do not appear to be factors in the crash, according to police.
Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to call the Warwick Police Department Traffic Unit at (401) 468-4200. Tips can also be submitted anonymously using the Warwick PD app or by texting WARWICKPD to 847411.
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