Firefighter Injured When Truck Hits Him At Scene Of 15 Vehicle Crash

MANCHESTER, NH — Manchester Fire, AMR, and New Hampshire State Police responded to multiple accidents on Tuesday on Interstate 93 in the Manchester area. A firefighter was injured, as well as occupants of several vehicles.

Manchester Fire responded simultaneously to three different accident scenes on I-93, 15 vehicles were involved, with two extrications and four patients transported by ambulance to area hospitals. Manchester Fire Engine 3, Engine 8, and a BLS unit were dispatched at 5:44 a.m. to a multi-car accident on I-93 north, just south of the I-293 split.

Engine 3 arrived on the scene, established command, and reported a seven-vehicle accident. Firefighters extricated a female patient from one vehicle and performed patient care, she was transported to the Elliot hospital with a life-threatening head injury.

While caring for the victim, a pickup truck attempted to drive through the emergency scene at an unreasonable rate of speed, lost control, and struck an adjacent guardrail, according to Assistant Chief Jonathan Starr. After hitting the guardrail, the pick-up truck hit Engine 3 and slid into two vehicles previously involved in the incident.

The officer of Engine was alerted by his crewmate of the oncoming vehicle and was able to narrowly avoid being struck. That crewmember was, however, struck by one of the vehicles and tumbled onto the roadway; the firefighter was cared for on scene and transported to the Elliot Hospital by ambulance. He was treated for soft tissue injuries to his hip and knee and subsequently released.

I-93 northbound was shut down for approximately an hour and a half due to multiple crashes.

Multiple units responded to I-93 south between the Wellington Road onramp and Exit 6 during the same time frame. The on-ramp and eventually I-93 south was shut down for about an hour while crews worked at the scene, and tow trucks removed six vehicles, including a box truck that went over the guardrail.

In Manchester, a bus lost control on Frontage Road, which was icy, colliding with a box truck and a passenger car. The bus had several students on it who were being transported to a local grammar school. They were removed from the damaged bus and transferred to a new bus that brought them to school. There were no reported injuries in this accident.

State police report that I-93 southbound in Wilton was closed for approximately an hour due to crashes involving multiple vehicles and an overturned tractor-trailer.

Patch will provide updated information if it becomes available from the state police.

©Jeffrey Hastings www.frameofmindphoto.com/news