Teen Daughter Of Former Portsmouth Mayor Survives Car Scare: Report

STRATHAM, NH — The 18-year-old daughter of a former Portsmouth mayor is "happy to be alive" after her brakes gave out and her car caught fire while she was driving on Route 101 near Stratham Tuesday morning, according to Seacoastonline.

Maggie Marchland of North Hampton heard a bang before her vehicle began to smoke and her brakes dropped to the floor, the outlet reported. She drove for half a mile, went down the Exit 11 ramp, and pulled onto the grass before her car finally stopped, and got out of the car just before it "became fully engulfed in flames," the outlet reported.

Marchland explained to Seacoastonline that her main focus was swerving to protect others on the road.

"I was so scared I was going to hurt someone," she said.

Her father, Steve Marchand, who served as the mayor of Portsmouth from 2006 to 2008, told the outlet that he "cannot be more impressed with [Maggie's] driving ability under pressure and her poise in a life-threatening situation that could easily have injured or killed Maggie - and others around her."

Read the full report and see photos in Seacoastonline.