N.H. Two-Car Crash Kills One, Injures Four
Two medical helicopters and several ambulances were called to a crash in downtown Newport.
NEWPORT, N.H. --
Two medical helicopters and several ambulances were called to a fatal crash in downtown Newport on Thursday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Elm and Maple streets, according to the Newport Police Department.
Police identified the occupants of first vehicle, a black Dodge Durango, as driver Melinda Leno, 37, and passenger Shelton Mahoney, 2, both of Newport. Police said Leno is Mahoney's mother, and the two were taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in critical condition.
The driver of the other vehicle, a 2004 Dodge Caravan, was pronounced dead at the scene. That victim was identified as Vicky Goss, 44, of Goshen.
Two passengers in the Dodge Caravan, 64-year-old Henrietta Hodgeman and 18-year-old Alex Goss, were airlifted to DHMC in critical condition. Police said Vicky Goss was Hodgeman's daughter and the teen's mother. They said she was driving the two to her daughter's soccer game at the time of the crash.
There's no indication that Leno hit the brakes before the cars struck each other, police said, and multiple witnesses at the scene said the Durango was speeding.
NPD officials said Leno told them that the accelerator on her Durango was stuck. Police said that they have identified mechanical trouble with the vehicle, but they're still unsure if it was a contributing factor to the crash. They're planning a forensic inspection for Friday.
Officials said Leno was also involved in a fatal crash last month. Police said she was not responsible for the Sept. 3 crash and was a victim when a pickup truck made a U-turn. The truck went over a concrete wall and into the Sugar River, killing the passenger, police said.
Police said there was no alcohol involved in Thursday's crash.
Amid all the commotion, an ambulance and a police cruiser on the way to the crash were both involved in separate crashes. Police said both were minor and no injuries were reported.
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