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Our New Hampshire injury lawyers are here to help you. As a service to our community Van Dorn & Curtiss post accident related legal news here. We write about injuries relating to accidents that have occurred in Western New Hampshire and Eastern Vermont.

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Automobile Accidents

• Train Hits Tractor-Trailer Truck Cab in Vermont
  Sep 03, 2010

  A tractor-trailer truck cab, on its way to pick up a full trailer, was hit by an oncoming train on Friday. The truck accident happened on Elm Street just before 10 p.m. last Friday night.
  
  The train, a New England Central Railroad freighter, was headed west through St. Albans when it collided with the truck. The truck was flipped over by the force of the train and pushed about 30 feet down the tracks.
  
  The driver of the truck, 44-year-old Tony Lemieux of Newport, sustained only minor injuries in the accident. However, the truck's two 120-gallon diesel tanks were punctured, spilling into the area around the tracks.
  
  The Elm Street crossing, where the accident took place, was not outfitted with gates or lights, only stop signs on either side of the tracks. Trains have the right of way, and drivers are responsible for gauging whether they have enough time to pass.
  
  “Obviously someone made a mistake,” St. Albans Police Chief Gary Taylor said. Because the truck, and not the train, caused the collision, the trucking company will be responsible for the cleanup operation.
  
  In April, a Williston farmer was killed in St. Albans when his tractor was hit by a train in a similar crossing. In December, another New England Central Railroad freight train hit a UPS truck in Roxbury, seriously injuring the driver.
  
  Our thoughts go out to all of those affected by this accident, as well as all of those putting in effort to administer the diesel cleanup
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• Massachusetts Man Killed in Vermont Car Accident
  Aug 25, 2010

  A two-vehicle accident in Vermont has left a Boston-area man dead. The accident occurred on Friday afternoon, August 20th.
  
  The man, whose name is not yet known, was driving his 2001 Volkswagen Passat southbound on Kellog Road in St. Albans when he collided with a Chevy Silverado truck traveling west on adjoining Lake Road.
  
  The man driving the truck, thirty-five-year-old Christopher Scott of Swanton, Vermont, suffered a broken leg in the accident. It is not yet known who was at fault in the crash, if alcohol was involved, or if charges are pending.
  
  There were also six passengers involved in the accident, but it is not yet clear how many were in each vehicle. None of the passengers were seriously injured in the wreck.
  
  Our sympathies go out to all those involved in the accident. We remind residents of New Hampshire and Vermont to drive safely this weekend.
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• NH Teen Has Car Accident Charges Dismissed
  Aug 12, 2010

  A New Hampshire judge has dismissed two felony charges against a teenager who crashed his car into a tree, killing one passenger and injuring another. The decision was issued Wednesday in Carroll County Court.
  
  Twenty-one-year-old Daniel Chesley was driving in North Conway on July 13, 2010 when he veered off the road and hit a tree. Eighteen-year-old Sudhaker McDevitt-McCann of Glen was killed in the accident, and 18-year-old Daniel Lawton of Tamworth was seriously injured.
  
  McDevitt-McCann and Lawton were hanging out the windows of the SUV at the time of the accident, and were thrown from the vehicle upon impact. Chesley was charged with negligent homicide and second-degree assault, and prosecutors said that he did not have a license at the time of the accident, but Carroll County Judge Pamela Albee said there was not enough evidence to support a finding of criminal liability against Chesley. Albee said that there was no evidence that Chesley was impaired, speeding, or driving erratically.
  
  This dismissal may not prevent police from investigating the case further. "We do not consider the judge's ruling to be the last chapter in this case," said Conway police Lt. Christopher Perley. "We are not deterred from fully investigating it."
  
  Our sympathies go out to all those affected by this fatal accident.
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• New Hampshire Man Killed After SUV Hits Building
  Aug 06, 2010

  A New Hampshire man was killed when the SUV he was driving hit the side of a building at high speed. His four-year-old granddaughter, who was riding in a car seat, was also injured in the crash.
  
  The driver, fifty-five-year-old Lance Doran, of Dover, NH, was seen driving at speeds exceeding 100 mph before his Jeep Liberty crashed into the American Legion Hall. The vehicle hit the building so hard that the Hall was nearly knocked off its foundation.
  
  Witnesses on the scene were able to get the girl out of the car before it caught fire. Doran couldn't be removed, and was pronounced dead at the scene. "I got the back door opened and got the little girl out, and I hear tonight that she is going to be all right and I think that's a blessing." said Bill Guilmette.
  
  The girl, who suffered only a broken collarbone in the accident, was taken to a hospital in Dover. A few people were in the American Legion Hall at the time of the crash, but they were on the other side of the building.
  
  Police are now trying to figure out why Doran was traveling at such a high speed, and why he lost control of his vehicle. "We'll look at the individual to see if there was a medical history or some type of medical occurrence that may have contributed to or caused the entire event," said Captain Timmons.
  
  Our sympathies go out to all those who have been affected by this accident.
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• New Hampshire Car Crash Injures Seven Children, Three Adults
  Aug 05, 2010

  Ten people were injured in a New Hampshire car accident over the weekend. Two cars were involved in the accident, which occurred in the town of Kensington, NH.
  
  Police say a car carrying seven children was hit on the driver's side door while passing through the intersection of Routes 108 and 150. The car rolled over and came to a stop in the intersection.
  
  The children in the car ranged in age from one to twelve. All of them were taken to hospitals in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, but none of their injuries were serious. The two people in the second car sustained only minor injuries in the crash.
  
  It is not yet known whether all the children came from the same family, nor what caused the accident. New Hampshire State Police trooper Chris Roblee says police are investigating whether all the children were properly restrained.
  
  This is another reminder that side impact car accidents are among the most dangerous on the road, and when drivers fail to yield the right of way in an intersection, the consequences can be serious.
  
  Our thoughts go out to all of those affected by this accident. We hope that none of the injuries to the children are life-changing.
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• Brookline Truck Accident Kills Vermont Man
  Jul 28, 2010

  A Vermont man was killed in a drunk -driving-related truck accident on Grassy Brook Road in Brookline. The accident occurred at around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.
  
  Twenty-one-year-old Aaron Clough, of Athens, VT was hanging out of the rear passenger window of a Dodge pickup truck driving on Grassy Brook road, when he feell out of the truck and hit his head. Clough was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, NH, where he later was pronounced dead.
  
  The driver of the truck, 19 nineteen-year-old Ross Bosworth of Keene, NH, who was found to be drunk at the time of the accident, was arrested and charged with DUI resulting in serious bodily injury, which is a felony. He is being held on a $5,000 bond.
  
  The other two passengers in the truck, whose identities are still unknown, fled from the scene of the accident. It is also not yet known whether they contributed to Clough's fall, or if were intoxicated themselves.
  
  Our sympathies go out to all those who have been affected by this unfortunate accident. We remind all parents of young drivers to speak to them about the dangers of drunk driving.
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• Texting Causes Fatal New Hampshire Accident
  Jul 24, 2010

  A young New Hampshire woman is dead after a fatal New Hampshire car accident on Saturday. The accident occurred around 4:15 a.m. on Interstate 495 north, just south of Exit 51.
  
  Kelsey A. Richardson, 21, of Atkinson, NH, was driving northbound when she lost control of her vehicle, striking a guardrail on the left side of the highway. Richardson then spun back into traffic, and hit a tractor-trailer truck traveling in the right lane.
  
  After hitting the first truck, Richardson was ejected from her vehicle, and was then hit by a second tractor-trailer driving in the middle lane. She was pronounced dead by rescue personnel at the scene.
  
  Because Richardson's car was heavily damaged, police can not determine whether she was wearing her seat belt. They do, however, suspect that texting while driving played a part in the horrific crash. "We are investigating [texting] as a contributing factor," said state police spokesman David Procopio.
  
  A bill banning texting while driving was signed into law earlier this year in New Hampshire, but it does not go into effect until the fall. This is another sad reminder of the dangers of distracted driving.
  
  Our thoughts go out to all those affected by this accident. We remind all New Hampshire drivers to stay alert and focused on the road when behind the wheel.
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• Vermont Woman Killed in Car-Van Accident
  Jul 22, 2010

  A Vermont woman was killed in a head-on collision between a car and a minivan. The accident occurred on Route 9 in Searsburg, on July 2, 2010.
  
  Gloria Levine, an eighty-eight-year-old resident of West Dover, was traveling eastbound on Route 9 in Searsburg, when she suddenly veered into the westbound lane. Levine collided with a minivan traveling in the opposite direction.
  
  Levine, who had to be extricated from her vehicle, was airlifted to Albany Medical Center. She was later pronounced dead as a result of the injuries she sustained in the wreck.
  
  The driver of the minivan, seventy-three-year-old Katherine Griebel of Nashua, New Hampshire, also sustained serious injuries in the accident, and was listed briefly in critical condition at Albany Medical Center. Her condition has since been upgraded to serious. Her husband, Lewis Griebel, suffered only minor injuries in the crash.
  
  Police are still unsure of the exact cause of the accident, but they suspect that Levine became drowsy or lost consciousness before swerving into the westbound lane. Neither alcohol nor prescription medicine is suspected to have played a part in the accident.
  
  Traffic was backed up on Route 9 in Searsburg for hours after the wreck blocked a section of the road. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this serious Vermont car accident.
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• New Hampshire Man Arrested in Road Rage Case
  Jul 15, 2010

  A New Hampshire man is being held in an apparent road-rage accident case. The incident occurred in Newburyport, MA on Wednesday, just across the border from New Hampshire.
  
  Neil Christopherson of Derry, NH was driving on Storey Avenue in Newburyport, when he was backed up behind an Chevy Impala driven by a Lawrence couple going below the speed limit.
  
  Christopherson, 39, waved his baseball hat out his window in an attempt to get the couple's attention. When the Impala pulled over the driver got out, the two men had a verbal altercation. When the argument became heated, Christopherson drove his Mini Cooper into the man, hitting him three times before driving away.
  
  A witness followed Christopherson to Route 1 in Newburyport, where he was arrested by police. Christopherson was charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 65, one count of assault by means of a dangerous weapon on a person over 65, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, and reckless operation of a motor vehicle.
  
  Christopherson was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Newburyport District Court. The name of the victim of this road rage incident, who suffered minor injuries, has not yet been released.
  
  Our thoughts go out to all affected by this New Hampshire car accident. We remind everyone to drive safely, and always remember to remain calm when behind the wheel.
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• Man Dies in Keene, NH Crash
  Jul 14, 2010

  One man is dead, and three others are injured, after a serious three car crash in Keene, New Hampshire. The accident occurred on Route 9 on the afternoon of Monday, June 28.
  
  Seventy-eight-year-old Patrick D. Smith, of East Swanzey, was killed when his Subaru crossed over Route 9 into a Yukon Denali SUV going the other way, pushing the Denali into a truck stopped at a stop sign on Base Hill Road.
  
  Riding in the Denali were Richard D. Clark, 34, of Townshend, Vermont, and Kristine Mayotte, 30, of Putney, VT, as well as children Terry Clark, 2, Patricia Clark, 7, and Gabriel Clark, 9. All were treated for minor injuries.
  
  Theresa Vesper and her husband Richard Vesper, who were in the truck, were not hurt in the crash. All those injured in the accident were transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, where Smith was later pronounced dead.
  
  "Traffic was moving and the last vehicle [the Denali] was coming, and the older gentleman in the Subaru just gunned it to get across [Route 9]," Vesper said. "I couldn't believe it. He hit [the Denali] and bounced right off it and then [the Denali] ran into me."
  
  The crash seemed to be a case of driver error, and there did not appear to be any mechanical failures at play. It is not yet known whether alcohol played a part in the crash.
  
  Our sympathies go out to all those affected by the crash, and we hope that no lasting injuries were sustained by the children involved in the accident. We also hope New Hampshire drivers always remember to merge safely onto dangerous roads like Route 9.
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