Police responded to mulitple motor vehicle crashes March 8 in Jaffrey.
At 2:54 a.m., police responded to a motor vehicle crash on Hunt Road at Contoocook Avenue for a report of a vehicle in a ditch. Police found the driver, Alex A. Santiago, 25, of Jaffrey, out of his vehicle, and the 2006 Ford Ranger pickup lodged in the ditch and inoperable.
A short way down the road, a tree had been knocked onto wires due to heavy winds, the wires were low-hanging and the road had been marked off by cones and barriers. Police had responded to multiple calls overnight for trees or limbs down due to high wind speeds overnight, including on Poole Road, Gilson Road, Thorndike Pond Road, at the parking area of the state park on Halfway House Road, Milliken Road, Great Road and Sandy Lane. According to police, Santiago admitted that he was trying to bypass the barriers and his vehicle became stuck in the ditch.
Santiago had accidentally locked himself out of the vehicle, and was wearing inadequate clothing for the weather. Police provided him a courtesy ride home while awaiting the tow truck so he could change into warmer clothing and retrieve a spare set of keys.
The vehicle had to be towed from the scene due to disabling damage. Santiago declined medical attention.
At 6:57 a.m., on Tuesday, police responded to D.D. Bean & Sons on Peterborough Street for a report of a vehicle that had hit the building. Police found a 1999 Lexus ES300, driven by Shelby Fife, 25, of Rindge, had hit a large patch of ice on the corner and Fife lost control, causing her vehicle to collide with the building, according to a witness who saw the crash.
Shelby was taken to UMass Memorial Hospital for treatment of her injuries. The vehicle had heavy front-end damage and was towed from the scene. New Hampshire Department of Transportation responded and addressed the ice issue.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.