1 person injured in head-on wrong-way crash on I-293 North
At approximately 2:42 a.m. on June 22 fire dispatch received a call for a two-vehicle motor vehicle accident on I-293 north involving a vehicle driving the wrong way on the highway, striking a second vehicle head-on at a high rate of speed.
MANCHESTER, NH – One person was seriously injured in a wrong-way two-vehicle crash on I-293 in which one of the drivers was going in the wrong direction, according to the following narrative provided by Manchester Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Plantier.
Incident Type: Motor vehicle accident with entrapment
Address: 293 North at exit 1 off ramp
Dispatch: 2:42 a.m.
Under Control: 3:11 a.m.
Resources: Engine3, Engine 9, Engine 8, Rescue 1, Battalion Chief 1 and ALS1
Description of Incident: At approximately 2:42 a.m. on June 22 fire dispatch received a call for a two-vehicle motor vehicle accident on I-293 north involving a vehicle driving the wrong way on the highway, striking a second vehicle head-on at a high rate of speed. The accident occurred 300 yards north of the South Willow street off-ramp. The impact was so great that it left a debris field on the highway covering approximately 300 feet.
The two vehicles came to rest approximately 600 feet from one another and involved a pickup truck and a small passenger vehicle. The passenger vehicle’s driver was entrapped, the driver’s side of that vehicle sustained a devastating hit that resulted in difficulty for crews accessing the patient.
The accident scene was separated by such a distance that a third pump was dispatched to assist the State Police with blocking the scene. The individual driving the truck was able to walk away and required no treatment.
The Rescue unit arrived on scene and with on scene companies stretched a hose line for protection in case of fire and proceeded to dismantle the vehicle and remove the patient. Companies took approximately 10 minutes to cut enough of the vehicle away to successfully extricate the victim who was transported to the Elliot hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Engine 3 and Engine 8 stayed on scene protecting the State Police until additional police resources arrived.
Civilian Injuries: 1
Emergency Service Injuries: none
Special Circumstances: Heavy damage to smaller vehicle made it difficult for crews to access driver, as well as the scope of the overall scene that crews had to cover
Estimated Dollar Loss: $30,000
