Exeter Woman Charged with DWI After Crash on I-95

A local woman was arrested early this morning after a crash on I-95, according to state police.

Meritel Saintil, 32, of Exeter, was charged with DWI.

According to state police, troopers from Troop A were called to I-95 just north of the Hampton Toll Plaza in North Hampton for an accident at around 2:30 a.m. on May 17, 2015.

When they arrived, they found a Ford Taurus with heavy front-end damage and the driver’s side airbag deployed. The vehicle was facing in a northeast direction across two lanes of the southbound side of the highway.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the Ford “drove head-on into the crash bunker that separated the two high-speed open road toll lanes from the remaining travel lanes of Interstate 95 south,” according to Sgt. John Hennessy of the NHSP.

Saintil was removed from the vehicle and transported by North Hampton Fire and Recue teams to Exeter Hospital where she was treated with non-life threatening injuries. The position of the vehicle required all three travel lanes of the southbound side of the highway to be closed for about 30 minutes while troopers eyed the accident scene.

Saintil was later arrested and released on bail. She’s due in Seabrook District Court on June 4.

Although alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash, the incident remains under investigation, according to Hennessy. NHSP is asking anyone with information pertaining to this incident is asked to contact Trooper John Forbes or Trooper Matthew Locke, New Hampshire State Police, Troop-A, at 603-223-8490.

According to Seacoastonline.com, Saintil was arrested in May 2003 for simple assault and obstructing a report of a crime or injury in Portsmouth.

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.

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