Police: Driver fatigue a factor in two tractor-trailer crashes

Shawne Wickham, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·1 min read

Feb. 15—The driver of a commercial tractor-trailer was ordered off the road after state police say he was involved in two separate crashes Tuesday night in Hopkinton.

Mark Semple, 63, of Kittery, Maine, was identified in a news release as the operator of the tractor-trailer, which is owned and operated by Western Express of Nashville, Tennessee.

Troopers from the state police's motor carrier enforcement team were called about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday to assist Hopkinton police after a commercial tractor-trailer crashed into a guardrail on Route 127 near the Contoocook River reservoir.

Investigators learned that the same driver and vehicle had struck another tractor-trailer in the parking lot of McLane Company, Inc., also in Hopkinton, about an hour earlier, causing substantial damage to the other vehicle, according to state police.

State police issued an out-of-service order for both Semple and his vehicle; such orders are issued "to protect the public from imminent safety hazards," the news release said. Semple was temporarily prohibited from driving, and the tractor-trailer was towed from the scene.

Police say driver fatigue and inattention appear to have been factors in the two crashes.

Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the incidents or has more information to contact Hopkinton police at 603-746-4141.