Nine hurt in three-car crash on Lafayette Road

Six ambulances transported nine patients from the scene of a three-car crash Wednesday afternoon on Lafayette Road near Elwyn and Peverly Hill roads, said Deputy Fire Chief James Heinz.

A van involved in the 1 p.m. collision was transporting mentally challenged adults and crashed head-on, at a decline, into a stone wall near the entrance to Elwyn Road.

Nearby, on the southbound side of Lafayette Road, a Mazda Tribute and a Volkswagen were also involved in the collision. The Mazda had heavy rear-end damage and was surrounded by automotive parts, broken glass and personal items.

A traffic sign on the median was knocked over and people watched from nearby parking lots while responders assisted the injured. One of the drivers suffered facial injuries that triggered a "trauma alert" that firefighters radioed to the hospital so services would be in place when the patient arrived, Heinz said.

The deputy fire chief described the crash as a "front-to-rear" collision, meaning it was a chain-reaction type crash.

Portsmouth police directed traffic around the area, while emergency responders came from Rye, North Hampton and Hampton. Heinz said a Lifeline ambulance happened to be in the area and assisted with transporting patients.

Most of the people in the three vehicles were wearing seat belts, Heinz said.

Traffic backed up in all directions until after 2:10 p.m., when the vehicles had been towed from the scene and the roads were reopened.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation as of Wednesday afternoon.