'Driver distraction' suspected as woman badly hurt in 4-car pile-up on Spaulding Turnpike

Staff report
·2 min read
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DOVER — A woman was seriously injured Saturday morning in a four-vehicle, chain-reaction crash in a construction zone on the Spaulding Turnpike, according to New Hampshire State Police.

The 57-year-old woman from Sanbornville was the driving a Chrysler PT Cruiser, the first vehicle struck from behind in the incident, police said. She was in stable condition at Portsmouth Regional Hospital late Saturday afternoon after sustaining serious injuries and being extricated from the car, according to police.

Police said "driver distraction" appeared to be the cause of the crash. It occurred just after 10:30 a.m. a short distance to the north of the Dover toll plaza and at the beginning of lane closure due to construction on the southbound side of the roadway, police said.

A four-car, chain-reaction crash resulted in one woman being seriously injured on the Spaulding Turnpike in Dover Saturday morning, according to police.
A four-car, chain-reaction crash resulted in one woman being seriously injured on the Spaulding Turnpike in Dover Saturday morning, according to police.

Police said a Subaru WRX sedan, driven by a 24-year-old Newfields man with a juvenile passenger, failed to slow down for the lane closure and crashed into the PT Cruiser. The PT Cruiser then crashed into a GMC Yukon, driven by a 41-year-old Dover man, whose vehicle struck a Chevrolet Equinox, driven by a 54-year-old Somersworth woman.

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The driver and passenger in the Subaru were brought to Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and released, police said. The drivers of the Yukon and the Equinox were "medically cleared" at the accident scene, police said.

The turnpike (Route 16) was shut down in the area of the accident for about 45 minutes, police said.

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Police said the accident remains under investigation. They are asking anyone with information to contact Trooper Seth Parker at Seth.W.Parker@dos.nh.gov.

State Police said Dover Fire and Rescue, Dover police and the Department of Transportation responded to the crash.

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This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Spaulding Turnpike crash: Woman seriously hurt near Dover NH tolls