Crashes Abound on NH Highways

Schools across the state of New Hampshire were canceled on Feb. 7, 2017, even before the snow had really started to fall, leading to scoffing by some, online. But quickly, the roads outside became slippery, which led to any number of accidents during the last 12 hours or so, according to reports online.

At around 4 a.m., Rockingham County Sheriffs and state officials began reporting crashes, including one on Route 4 in Northwood that closed the road for about 90 minutes. At just before 5:45 a.m., a second crash was reported on the road, and an hour later, state officials dropped the speed limit on a number of highways to 45 mph.

At 8:30 a.m., a car crashed into a tree in Hampstead, with the driver coming “in and out of consciousness,” according to a report by NH Fire Alarm on Twitter. Route 16 in Albany also closed for a spell at about the same time.

Within the next two hours, NH DOT reported numerous crashes on I-293 in Manchester, a rollover with ejection on Route 28 in Pittsfield, and crashes on I-93 in Concord, Hooksett, Manchester, and Windham, the Everett Turnpike in Bedford, as well as Nashua, and Route 101 in Exeter, involving a tractor-trailer, according to firefighters, and another crash in Kensington.

At just before noon, a car crashed into a building on Alder Street in Exeter, while more crashes were reported on I-93 in Concord and Manchester, as well as I-89 in Sutton and Route 101 in Wilton.

Crashes were also reported along I-95, as well as truck crashes in Kittery, ME, and Georgetown, MA.

Georgetown Rt95NB At Exit 54 pic.twitter.com/AWqm5WWfTI

— ActionPage System (@ActionPage1) February" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/ActionPage... 7, 2017

At just before 1 p.m., Hampton Police issued a parking ban in that community through 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

During the next three hours, crashes were reported on I-89 in Hopkinton, Piscassic Road in Newfields, on the Everett Turnpike in Bedford, Merrimack, and Nashua, Route 101 in Kingston, and as well as I-93 in Londonderry, and I-95 in Greenland and Portsmouth, where a rollover with injury was reported at the intersection with the Spaulding Turnpike.

At 4 p.m., New Hampshire State Police issued a warning on Twitter stating that the road conditions were “deteriorating quickly,” and requesting that drivers, “please take it slow.”

NH DOT added that workers would be treating the highways all evening.

Travel Advisory - Snow expected to switch to sleet/freezing rain this evening, which will make roads slippery. Plowing/treating ongoing. pic.twitter.com/JXskLThCAA

— NHDOT (@NewHampshireDOT) February" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/NewHampshi... 7, 2017

Photos by Concord and Exeter firefighters, and NH DOT.