Exeter Man Arrested After Crash on Route 101

New Hampshire State Police arrested an Exeter man last night for drunk driving after a crash on Route 101.

Robert Bobola, 57, of Exeter, was arrested on Sept. 12, 2015, on a driving while intoxicated charge.

Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire State Police. It does not indicate a conviction. Click this link to find out how to get a name removed from a New Hampshire Patch police report.

According to a report, at just before 10 p.m., troopers were called to a motor vehicle accident on Route 101 eastbound, west of Exit 9 in Exeter.

While travelling to the scene, troopers were advised that just prior to the crash, the vehicle had been reported as operating at a high rate of speed, all over the road. Upon arrival, troopers encountered a black Ford pickup truck into a utility pole located on the right hand (south) side of the roadway, according to a press statement.

“ Troopers attempted to make contact with the driver who appeared to be unconscious,” according to Sgt. John Hennessey of the NHSP. “ After determining that the doors were locked and the driver was unresponsive, troopers were able to break a vehicle window to gain access to the driver.”

The preliminary investigation revealed that Bobola was allegedly speeding, left the paved portion of the road, over-compensated to the right, and that caused the vehicle to rotate clockwise and travel across a lane and leave the paved portion of roadway. The vehicle came to final rest after striking the utility pole with the rear driver’s side of the vehicle.

One lane was shut down for about an hour while the crash was investigated and Bobola removed from the vehicle. He was transported Exeter Fire and Rescue teams to Exeter Hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Unitil was called to the scene in order to stabilize the utility pole that had been damaged, according to the report. The New Hampshire State Police were assisted at the scene by members of the Exeter Fire Department and NH DOT.

Bobola is due in court on Oct. 8. According to online reports, he was arrested for simple assault in 2010 and false inspection sticker in June. 

Although alcohol and speed appear to have been factors in the causation of this crash, this incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information pertaining to this incident is asked to contact Trooper George Sanborn, New Hampshire State Police, Troop-A, at 603-223-8490.