Police: Distracted Driver Caused Head-On Crash.

Date: 09/28/2011
Time: Around 7:00 P.M.
Location: Goffstown, New Hampshire
Vehicle(s) Involved: Oldsmobile Ciera, Oldsmobile Bravada

By WMUR 9 News

"Goffstown, N.H. -- Goffstown police said a distracted driver may have been the cause of a car crash that seriously injured two people Wednesday.
Witnesses said they saw one of the drivers looking down at a cellphone just before the head-on crash at about 7 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators said the driver's blue sedan crossed over the center line on Daniel Plummer Road before hitting an SUV.

Police said the crash could have been avoided if the driver was paying attention."The blue car swerved over suddenly, and the red SUV tried to maneuver away from him, but had nowhere to go," witness Joe Tupper said.Police said airbags likely prevented critical injuries to the victims.Emergency workers said the driver and a passenger in the car were not seriously hurt. The two people in the SUV had to be extracted from the wreck using the Jaws of Life.Tupper said the victims in the SUV were a man and his uncle."The uncle was unconscious at first, but came to a few minutes later," Tupper said.Both men were taken by ambulance to CMC in Manchester. Goffstown Fire Department Chief Richard O'Brien said the two suffered non-life-threatening injuries.Police said it appeared that the driver and passenger in the car were distracted by a cellphone."There were two occupants in the vehicle, and they might have been fooling around with a cell phone, causing them to go into the other lane of travel and causing the accident," Goffstown Police Department Lt. Pierre Pouliot said.Pouliot said the crash was a reminder for drivers to pay attention to their driving."We need people to focus on their driving and not fool around or pay attention to a cellphone. If they need to use a cellphone, pull over to the side of the road -- and definitely no texting while you're driving," Pouliot said.Police said they were looking into whether the crash constituted a violation of the state's texting while driving law."

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