By BOB MARTIN
Eagle Times Staff
SAXTONS RIVER, Vt. — The Vermont State Police are investigating an accident on Saxtons River Road where a preliminary investigation showed that the operator of an eastbound traveling Ford Escape crossed the center line and hit a private snowplow/sander pickup truck that was traveling west.
On Tuesday, Vermont State Police dispatch received a report of a two-car accident with entrapment and serious injuries on Route 121 (Saxtons River Road), in the area of Davidson Hill Road, in the Rockingham village of Saxtons River. Troopers, as well as EMS and Fire Departments from Saxtons River and Bellows Falls, responded to the scene at about 2:35 p.m. just moments after the report of the crash.
The Bellows Falls Fire Department used the Jaws of Life to extricate the driver of the 2013 Ford Escape, Travis Allen, 37, of Athens, Vermont. Allen was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for “serious” injuries via helicopter by UMass Life Flight.
Shane Goldsmith, 37, of Bellows Falls, was the driver of the 2012 Chevrolet Silverado that was outfitted with a plow in front and sander in the rear. He was taken to Springfield Hospital by Golden Cross Ambulance for minor injuries.
Vermont State Police Public Information Officer Adam Silverman said that the “contributing factors of the cause of the crash are still under investigation.” It was noted in the police report that the roads were dry and it was sunny at the time of the accident.
“We’ll provide updates when additional information is available,” Silverman said.
Both vehicles were totaled in the accident. A photograph released by the Saxtons River Fire Department shows the Ford Escape with the front end entirely torn off and the windshield ripped away. In the background the plow/sander is up against a snowbank with police and firefighters evaluating. Another photograph showed the truck from the front, with the plow pulled off to the side, front end damage, and the driver’s side front wheel off of the vehicle in the snowbank.
Responding to the scene were Saxtons Rivers and Bellows Falls Fire Departments, as well as Golden Cross Ambulance. Bellows Falls Rescue 1 and Car 1 responded to the accident to use the Jaws of Life.
The Westminster Fire Department assisted with traffic, as Route 121 was temporarily closed in both directions, and the Rockingham Fire Department set up a landing zone. Also assisting was TwinLine Towing, Recovery and Auto Repair and the Rockingham Highway Department who cleaned up the area.
A message requesting the status of Allen from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center was not immediately returned.
