Car goes airborne, Ashuelot woman taken to hospital

WINCHESTER, N.H. -- Police say a 61-year-old woman was transported to the hospital after a single-vehicle crash on Ashuelot Main Street at approximately 12:49 p.m. Monday.

Wendy S. Smith, of Ashuelot, was traveling westbound toward Hinsdale on route 119 when she lost control of the Nissan Sentra she was operating, causing the vehicle to cross the center line and leave the roadway, said Winchester Police Chief Gary A. Phillips.

The crash occurred just short of the Hinsdale town line.

Phillips said the car appears to have gone off the road for 18 to 20 feet before hitting a mound of dirt and going airborne for another 38 to 40 feet before getting wedged between a grove of 4- to 5-inch-thick trees.

The chief said the vehicle was leaning toward its right side when assistance arrived.

He said the Winchester Fire Department had to use the Jaws of Life to remove Smith from the vehicle and she was taken to Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth Hitchcock in Keene. Phillips said the vehicle appeared to be totaled.

He said the crash is still under investigation but excessive speed has been ruled out as a cause. The chief said the roads were damp but it was not raining at the time of the crash and there was no pooling of water that would have caused the car to hydroplane.

Phillips said it was a little foggy at the time.

A receptionist at Cheshire Medical Center said there was no patient with the victim’s name under care at the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon.

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