A Rindge teenager is in critical, but stable, condition after a single-vehicle accident in Rindge early Tuesday morning.
The 16-year-old suffered internal injuries and injuries to his leg, said Rindge Police Chief Todd Muilenberg, in an interview Wednesday. The teen was injured in an accident in which the Chevy pickup truck he was driving plowed into a tree on Cathedral Road.
“I’m surprised that he is doing as well as he is,” said Muilenberg. “It’s hard to imagine that anyone would survive that crash.” Because of his age, police have not released his name. He is not a student at Conant or Victory high school, according to officials.
Rindge police were called to the scene Tuesday around 5:30 a.m., after a passerby noticed the aftermath of the crash. The accident occurred on the east side of the road, between Anett State Park and Cathedral of the Pines.
Muilenberg said the minor was on his way to work that morning, traveling northbound on Cathedral Road, when he failed to negotiate the turn, crashing into the tree.
Muilenberg said the minor may have fallen asleep at the wheel, but it is not known what specifically led to the accident. It is hard to tell what happened at this time, said Muilenberg, because there were no witnesses.
There were no skid marks on the road that would have indicated the minor had used his brakes or swerved to miss something in the road, according to Muilenberg.
The minor was believed to have been traveling to New Ipswich, where he may have been meeting up with some some co-workers.
After being extricated from the vehicle, he was transported via helicopter to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Police closed Cathedral Road from the intersection with Prescott Road and Hubbard Pond Road to just north of Sawmill Road for much of the morning, reopening the road to the public around 10 a.m., after the vehicle had been pulled from the woods and towed away.
No charges are pending at this time. The truck the minor was driving was totaled.
Rindge, Jaffrey, Peterborough, Fitzwilliam, and Winchendon, Massachusetts, fire departments all responded to the accident. Jaffrey and state police also responded.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.