A driver was trapped with serious injuries after crashing into the woods off Route 101 in Temple on Sunday morning.
According to the New Hampshire State Police, at about 6:30 a.m., police initially received reports of a pole and wires down on Route 101, east of Route 45 in Temple. State Police declined to release the driver’s name.
As a state trooper was responding to the call, another report was received that a vehicle was in the woods in that same area. It was reported that the operator of the vehicle was trapped in the vehicle with serious injuries. Peterborough Fire and Ambulance Chief Ed Walker said a passerby noticed the downed pole and wires, and investigated, seeing the vehicle off the road.
“They realized telephone poles don’t just come down on their own, and investigated further, and realized it was caused by a car, and that there was a driver still in there,” Walker said. The passerby then called 911.
According to State Police, the vehicle was traveling west on Route 101 and failed to negotiate a curve, causing the driver to cross the eastbound travel lane, leaving the road and crashing into the pole and then into the woods and a tree.
The doors to the vehicle’s Nissan Frontier pickup truck were damaged from the crash and the driver was unable to exit, Walker said. He was conscious and aware when crews arrived, with serious but not-life-threatening injuries. He was extracted from the vehicle by the Temple Fire Department, and transported to Elliot Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.