A New Hampshire woman is fighting for her life after police say she was ejected from her pickup truck in a crash that occurred during a snow squall early Thursday morning.
State police said they responded to Route 16 south, commonly known as the Spaulding Turnpike, in the area of Exit 15 in Rochester around 5:25 a.m. for a report of a single motor vehicle crash. At the time of the crash, the area was experiencing a sudden snow squall.
Preliminary investigation showed that a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado driven by 44-year-old Rachel Maschino, of Milton Mills, was headed south, approaching Exit 15, when it came upon slower moving traffic due to the weather and roadway conditions, according to police. Maschino took evasive actions in an effort to avoid a collision, which led to her losing control of her vehicle and striking a guardrail along the Exit 15 off-ramp.
Following the initial impact, police said the pickup rolled over and Maschino was ejected from the vehicle. She sustained life-threatening injuries and was taken to an area hospital.
A passenger in the pickup, 25-year-old Timothy Yeaton, also of Milton Mills, suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the crash and was taken to a local hospital, police said.
As a result of the crash, the Exit 15 southbound off ramp was closed for several hours to allow for treatment of the injured parties and the investigation of the crash scene. Rochester police and fire and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation assisted state police at the crash scene.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact Trooper Daniel Bourque, who is leading the investigation, at Daniel.J.Bourque@dos.nh.gov.