Augusta, ME : Police identify second of 2 fatal crash victims on Monday, November 21st 2016
Two people died Monday morning is separate motor vehicle accidents blamed on icy road conditions — one on Route 4 in Durham, the other on the Spaulding Turnpike in Dover.
Olha Monaco, 43, of Somersworth died when the small truck she was driving went off the Spaulding Turnpike, struck a guardrail and overturned, according to a press release from N.H. State Police Troop A. Monaco was thrown from the vehicle.
Adam T. Wilson, 32, of Spruce Lane, Dover, was also killed Monday morning, when his car crossed into the path of a tanker truck on icy roads on Route 4 in Durham, according to a Durham Police press release issued late Monday afternoon. Wilson was ejected from his vehicle.
In the Dover accident, troopers assigned to Troop-A Barracks, received a call about at approximately 4:19 a.m. about a motor vehicle crash on Route 16 north in Dover. State police who responded to the crash scene determined that the accident involved one vehicle, a red 2007 Ford Ranger pickup truck operated by Monaco, State Police said.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the Ford Ranger was traveling northbound, had drifted off the left side of the roadway, struck a guardrail, overturned, coming to final rest upright atop a guardrail along the left shoulder along Route 16 south. As a result of this crash, Monaco was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The decision was made to close Route 16 both north and southbound to allow for treatment of the roadways and the crash investigation to be completed. Ultimately, the vehicle, along with a large field of debris, was removed and the roadway was reopened at approximately 8 a.m., police said.
Assisting troopers at the scene were members of the Dover Police Department, Dover Fire Department, City of Dover Community Services, State of New Hampshire Department of Transportation, State of New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the Strafford County Attorney's Office and the Somersworth Police Department.
The facts and circumstances of that crash remain under investigation; however preliminary information gathered indicates icy roadway conditions and speed appear to be contributing factors, state police said.
Anyone with information pertaining to that incident is asked to contact Trooper Michelle Montville of the New Hampshire State Police, Troop-A Barracks, at (603) 223-8490 or michelle.montville@dos.nh.gov.
In the Durham crash, police were dispatched at 5:01 a.m. to Route 4, near the Main Street off ramp for a reported motor vehicle accident. Investigation revealed that Wilson was traveling westbound on Route 4 when he lost control of his 2004 Honda Civic and slid into the eastbound travel lane. Wilson’s vehicle was struck by a 2015 Freightliner truck with tank, operated by Gregory A. Benasutti, 47, of Tilton. The truck was hauling a tank which was empty at the time of the accident. The truck is owned by H.O. Bouchard, Hampden, Maine.
Wilson was ejected from his car and pronounced dead at the scene by the New Hampshire Medical Examiner’s Office. The truck driver was not injured.
At the time of the accident, the road conditions were ice covered and it appears that the road conditions contributed to the accident, police said. It does not appear that speed or alcohol was involved and no charges are anticipated.
The Durham Police were assisted by the New Hampshire State Police, Lee Police, University of New Hampshire Police and the Durham Fire Department.
Kelley said the affected section of Route 4 was closed until late morning 11 a.m. The State Police Reconstruction team was on site.
“We do not anticipate any charges and there is no indication that speed or alcohol were involved,” Kelley said. “The roads were covered in black ice, making for extremely treacherous driving and it appears the driver lost control."
It was one of many accidents reported throughout the Seacoast and Tri-City regions as motorists dealt with slick conditions after the first snowfall of the season.
Accidents were being reported on roads around the Seacoast as overnight snowfall and black ice made for slick roads during the morning commute.
Traffic was being diverted around the accident on Route 4 near the Lee town line, causing major delays.
Spaulding Turnpike southbound was closed near mile 9 in Dover due to a crash, according to the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. Traffic was severely delayed around the turnpike with multiple accidents reported, including one in the area of the Little Bay bridge in Newington.
Traffic was also backed up on Route 101 eastbound after an accident was reported in Brentwood.
Source :
Police identify second of 2 fatal crash victims