Local 4392 in action, reported by the Eagle Tribune

DERRY — A crash on Hampstead Road during the afternoon rush-hour sent three people to the hospital and closed a section of the busy road for more than an hour and a half yesterday.

The three people, a young boy and two women, were taken by ambulance to Parkland Medical Center, said Derry Fire Battalion Chief Jack Webb.

Although the victims' names were not available from police or fire officials last night, a Parkland nursing supervisor confirmed that Erin Manning, 30, of Danville was going to be transported to a Boston hospital for treatment of her injuries, including a broken leg.

She also said the boy was doing fine, and the second woman was treated and released. said the child's mother rode to the hospital with him.

Police closed a section of Hampstead Road, a busy shortcut road used by many motorists, near Warner Hill and Floyd roads for more than an hour and a half after the 4 p.m. crash. One vehicle, a blue sedan with heavy front-end damage, remained in the middle of the road while the other two had swerved off the road into the woods, a Volvo van flipping onto its side.

A sand-like mixture was spread across the roadway to soak up vehicle fluids. Car parts, including headlights and bumpers, were strewn across the road.

Kerry Vidnovic, 29, of Derry, a passenger in the white Hyundai driven by Manning, said her friend knew instantly she had broken her leg.

Both were wearing seat belts and their air bags deployed in the crash, Vidnovic said.
Vidnovic stood on the side of the road wiping a bloody nose as she waited for her boyfriend to pick her up.

"It was unbelievable," she said, describing the head-on accident between the other two vehicles that pushed the Volvo into their car. "There was no way we could avoid crashing into it.
No details were available from police on how the accident occurred.

"I'm counting my blessings that I wasn't seriously hurt," she said. "Thank God for the air bags and the seat belts we had on. But when the air bags opened up, it was like being punched in the face."
Anne Boule, 94 Hampstead Road, who lives near the corner where the crash took place, said accidents take place there often, especially during the winter when the road is slippery.

She said she and her husband heard a "loud boom" when the crash occurred.