Andover Man Pleads Guilty To Negligent Homicide After Pembroke Crash

CONCORD, NH — A man from Andover, who pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and other charges, has been sentenced to three to six years in prison.

Thomas Taylor, 36, was using his cellphone while driving a loaded commercial dump truck weighing around 37 tons on May 26, 2020, causing a crash involving multiple vehicles. An elderly woman lost her life during the crash, while others were injured.

Paul Halvorsen, the Merrimack County Attorney, said the plea deal was accepted by the judge.

“The loss of life and injuries that occurred in this crash is a tragedy,” he said, adding, “it only takes seconds of distracted driving to injure or kill someone. For everyone’s sake, when you drive, leave the phone alone.”

Along with the prison sentence, Taylor will lose his license for seven years. He also received a suspended sentence of 12 months on two vehicular assault charges for others who were injured during the crash and will pay a fine connected to his second mobile electronic device while driving offense. Taylor was also banned from obtaining a commercial driver’s license after getting out of prison.

The crash was investigated by the Pembroke Police Department with support in accident reconstruction and electronic analysis provided by the New Hampshire State Police. Attorney Matthew Flynn prosecuted the case for the state.

Below is the WMUR-TV report from when Taylor was arrested.

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