One man was killed and another seriously injured in a wrong-way crash on a New Hampshire highway early Friday morning.
New Hampshire State Police said they responded to reports of a crash on Route 16 in Milton shortly after 4:30 a.m. Friday.
When they arrived, they found two vehicles — a Volkswagen Jetta and a Nissan Kicks — in opposing breakdown lanes, both heavily damaged. About three minutes before the crash, state police dispatch had received a report of a vehicle that was driving north in the southbound lane in Milton.
The preliminary investigation determined 77-year-old Edward Correia, of Portsmouth, had been driving north in the southbound travel lane in the Volkswagen when he collided with the southbound Nissan, driven by 67-year-old Jeremiah Coleman, of West Ossipee. This section of the highway has no physical barriers separating the north and south lanes, and state police said they are still investigating what caused Correia to travel to the left of the center lines.
Police said Correia was not believed to be wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, and he died at the scene.
Coleman was taken by ambulance to a local hospital with serious injuries, but he is expected to survive.
The stretch of Route 16 between exits 17 and 18 was closed for about three hours while traffic was diverted and emergency personnel worked at the scene.
Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Shane McClure at Shane.M.McClure@dos.nh.gov.
