By KATY SAVAGE
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HARTLAND, Vt. — A 36-year-old woman died after a Charlestown man crossed the centerline on Interstate 91 and struck her vehicle head-on around 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
Police said Joshua Rondeau, 37, lost control of his 2008 Chevrolet Silverado truck, while traveling south on I-91 around exit 9. He crossed the median and struck the northbound 2007 Toyota Matrix that Laura Cody-McNaughton of Perkinsville was driving. McNaughton was pronounced dead at the scene. McNaughton’s son Isaac, 8, who was in the backseat, was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center with minor injuries, police said.
Rondeau and two children who were in the vehicle with him, Makayla Rondeau, 8, and Shane Esh, 11, were also transported with non life threatening injuries.
Vermont State Police Lt. Roger Farmer said all passengers and drivers were wearing seatbelts.
The Vermont State Police Crash Reconstruction Team was at the scene on Thursday.
It’s unclear why Rondeau crossed the centerline, said Farmer. There were two other minor accidents in that area Thursday morning due to water on the roadway. There were no injuries in the other accidents.
“Any time when it rains that heavily there tends to be a depression in the highway,” said Farmer.
It’s unclear if that contributed to the accident. It’s also unknown if Rondeau was speeding.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock said Rondeau was in the emergency room under observation on Thursday evening.
State Police issued a travel advisory at 8 a.m. Thursday, reminding motorists to slow down because wet weather could cause water to pool in the roads, leading to risk of hydroplaning and reduced visibility.
McNaughton was a member of the Weathersfield School District board. Her brother-in-law, Nathan is the assistant principal at Riverside Middle School in Springfield.
Attempts to reach her family were not successful.
The northbound lanes of the interstate were closed Thursday morning due to the accident. They reopened around 1 p.m.
Farmer said the incident was still under investigation.
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