A 42-year-old Chelmsford, Massachusetts, man is facing charges after police say he crossed into oncoming traffic on Mammoth Road in Pelham, New Hampshire, slammed head-on into a pickup truck, and then kept accelerating into it, pushing the vehicle roughly 100 feet down the road. Mark Breen was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, while the driver of the pickup was also taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.
According to NBC Boston, the crash happened Friday at 7:21 p.m. on Mammoth Road just north of Bush Hill Road, when Breen's northbound Honda Civic crossed the double yellow center line and struck a southbound Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup head-on. A separate account from WMUR places the collision at around 7:20 p.m. that same night. Police say Breen caused the crash by crossing into the oncoming lane.
Witnesses told investigators the impact did not end with the initial hit. Per the NBC Boston report, Breen continued accelerating and struck the pickup several more times after the first collision. WMUR reported that witnesses described Breen repeatedly hitting the truck and pushing it about 100 feet before it finally came to a stop.
Charges and Hospitalizations
Breen was charged with reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence and reckless operation, the station's report states. He was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the driver of the pickup was also hospitalized and is expected to be okay, according to the same account. Breen was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in court on November 2.
Mammoth Road was shut down near Bush Hill Road for about an hour while police investigated the scene and crews removed the damaged vehicles, per the same account. The closure affected a stretch of road that has seen serious head-on crashes before.
A Similar Scene on the Same Road
In April 2017, a separate head-on crash occurred on Mammoth Road near Muldoon Park, when a Chevy S-10 pickup crossed into the opposite lane and struck a Honda CR-V head-on just after 4 p.m., according to the Eagle-Tribune. Police at the time said the crash may have been caused by a driver falling asleep at the wheel, and the CR-V was driven by a 42-year-old Londonderry woman. Both vehicles in that incident were heavily damaged, and that section of Mammoth Road was closed while the scene was cleared, the Eagle-Tribune reported. The two incidents are not connected, and the evidence does not establish any broader pattern of crashes on the roadway.
What New Hampshire Law Says
Under New Hampshire's reckless conduct statute, RSA 631:3, the offense becomes a class B felony when a person uses a deadly weapon as defined under state law; otherwise it is classified as a misdemeanor, according to the New Hampshire Revised Statutes. Breen's November 2 court date will determine how the case against him proceeds.
