LONDONDERRY, NH — A driver was flown to Boston and his passenger was transported to a Manchester hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries after their sedan crashed head-on into a pickup truck Monday morning.
At about 7:18 a.m., police and fire responded to the area of 26 Nashua Road, which is just north of the Exit 4 interchange on Route 102 heading into Derry.
Two occupants of a heavily-damaged 2016 Ford Focus were trapped inside, identified by police as Daniel Montminy, 20, of Nashua, and Hannah Denoncourt, 20, of Merrimack.
After about 18 minutes, rescue crews were able to extricate them from the vehicle using hydraulic tools, according to Londonderry Fire Battalion Chief of Operations Mike McQuillen. A DHART helicopter landed at 7:54 a.m. and brought Montminy to Mass General Hospital in Boston.
A Derry Fire ambulance brought Denoncourt to Elliot Hospital in Manchester. McQuillen described the injuries suffered by both to be “multi-system orthopedic trauma” and he said the male driver also suffered a serious head injury.
Neither occupants of the Focus were wearing their seatbelts, which McQuillen said certainly played a part in the seriousness of their injuries.
“They make a difference, they do,” McQuillen said of seatbelts.
After interviewing witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage from nearby businesses, police determined Montminy caused the accident when he was traveling west on Route 102 and accelerated into oncoming eastbound traffic.
Police say the Focus struck three other vehicles, but none of the other motorists or passengers suffered serious injuries. McQuillen said one person with a minor injury refused transport to a hospital.
He said the Focus appeared to have side-swiped a silver SUV before crashing into a pickup truck head-on. A second pickup struck the rear first truck after its collision with the Focus.
The crash is still under investigation, according to police, and no charges have been filed yet.
