Dump truck driver suffers life-threatening injuries in crash on I-93 South

A dump truck driver suffered severe, life-threatening injuries Sunday evening after veering off the road and crashing into a tree on I-93 South.

The collision, which happened around 5:20 p.m. in Canterbury, trapped the driver in the vehicle's wreckage. State Troopers who responded to the scene attempted to free the driver with help from “a group of good Samaritans,” according to the Department of Safety.

Firefighters eventually rescued the driver — an unnamed adult male and the vehicle’s only occupant — who was taken to Concord Hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries. The driver was still in critical condition as of  10:30 p.m. on Sunday night.

State Troopers who responded to the scene concluded the dump truck, a white 1996 International 4700, had been towing an industrial woodchipper along the travel lane when it crossed into the high-speed lane, swerved off the road and struck multiple trees in the median. 

Canterbury Fire & Rescue, the Tilton-Northfield Fire Department and the Penacook Rescue Squad assisted troopers in clearing debris and removing the dump truck from the median. The passing lane remained closed several hours after Troopers first reported to the scene at 5:20 p.m.

The release urged anyone who witnessed the crash to contact Trooper Tyler Griffin at Tyler.L.Griffin@DOS.NH.GOV with information that may be relevant to the investigation.