A tragic incident shook the Somersworth community yesterday evening as a vehicle caused a fatal crash after it hit several parked cars and then slammed into a home on West High Street. Citing a statement posted to Facebook by Somersworth police, NBC Boston reported that the crash occurred just after 6 p.m. The incident prompted authorities to close West High Street to all traffic between High Street and Cemetery Road, advising motorists to find alternate routes.
A witness to the chaos, Joe Masana, whose residence neighbors the struck home, shared with WMUR that not only his vehicle, but also his landlady's car was badly damaged. "My landlady's vehicle actually got pushed into it. The top of her vehicle was completely torn off by the airborne vehicle that hit the house," he said. The aftermath was evident as a crew on site observed a pickup truck being extracted from the devastated structure.
The identity of the person who lost their life has been withheld, pending notification of next of kin. The Somersworth Fire Department and Department of Public Works were also present at the scene, as police continue to investigate the cause of the mishap, which remains unknown at this time.
The complex task of piecing together the events leading up to the crash has been entrusted to the Strafford County Technical Accident Reconstruction Team. Noting the severity of the impact, "Multiple levels of the home were severely damaged," as per the WMUR report. The ongoing investigation means the street closure on West High Street could linger, with city police detective Sgt. Anthony DeFrancesco stating, "West High Street was closed to all traffic from High Street to Cemetery Road and will remain closed indefinitely while the investigation continues," according to Fosters.com.
