An Auburn man has died following a tragic collision in which his vehicle burst into flames after striking a dump truck on Route 101 in Candia, New Hampshire; the New Hampshire State Police confirmed the fatality, as reported by Boston25 News. The incident took place earlier yesterday, when emergency responders received calls around 6:01 a.m. about a crash involving a burning SUV and an unoccupied dump truck parked on the shoulder due to mechanical issues.
The driver, identified as 25-year-old Alexander C. Smith from Auburn, was pronounced deceased at the scene despite the efforts of several good Samaritans and troopers who tried to give aid after extracting him from the engulfed SUV these valiant attempts at rescue could not alter the grim outcome. The troopers found the severely injured driver and the parked dump truck, which was not involved in travel when the collision occurred, and faced a challenging situation as the SUV became fully engulfed in flames, made more volatile by the explosion-like sounds from multiple tire blowouts, attributed to a ruptured fuel tank according to NBC Boston.
Emergency services, including the New Hampshire State Police's Collision Analysis & Reconstruction (CAR) Unit and the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Unit, were dispatched to assist in what would become a complex investigation to uncover the circumstances surrounding the incident. The Candia Fire Department alongside mutual aid from neighboring Auburn and Raymond fire departments, managed to extinguish the flames, despite the hazards presented by the vehicle's fuel tank and aforementioned tire explosions. There was initially a report of ammunition in the vehicles, but this was later confirmed to be false by firefighters.
In the aftermath of the crash, Route 101 East was completely blocked to traffic for approximately three and a half hours while the site was cleared of wreckage and reopened around 9:33 a.m. the thoroughfare to bustling life returned, and the drivers, perhaps unknowing or all too aware, carried on beneath the pall cast by this morning's somber occurrence. The Candia Fire Department as well as state police have both acknowledged the bravery of the bystanders whose swift actions under perilous circumstances were commended in an official statement obtained by NBC Boston.
As the investigation continues, authorities are urging anyone with information related to the crash to come forward and contact Trooper Kevin LeDoux. Information can be sent to the trooper's email at [email protected].
