1 dead, 2 injured in Alton crash

One person died, and two people including a child were sent to the hospital, in an apparent head-on collision on Henry Wilson Highway, in Alton, Wednesday night.

Fire Chief Jim Reinert said dispatch received a report, at 6:15 p.m. on Oct. 28, of a motor vehicle accident near 70 Henry Wilson Hwy, also known as Route 11. Alton Police said in a press release the crash was between the traffic circle and Heron Point Road.

Dispatch said a vehicle was on fire, and someone might be trapped in their car.

First responders found a Jeep engulfed in flames upon arrival. An adult woman and a boy with her in the vehicle were able to get out on their own. Crews extinguished the fire, and checked the other vehicle, a mid-sized SUV with one occupant. They determined the driver died at the scene.

The identity of the deceased driver has not been released.

The occupants of the Jeep were evaluated at the scene, and taken to Huggins Hospital, in Wolfeboro, by ambulance to be treated for “non-life threatening injuries.” No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

Reinert said it was a busy time of day on the road, and while there were people who stopped, he did not know in what capacity they may have assisted.

“I believe there were people who stopped,” Reinert said.

Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid was called to assist, bringing Gilmanton Fire to the scene.

The Belknap Regional Accident Investigation Team came to the scene, and Alton Fire personnel stayed to assist with clearing the road of hazards.

The road was closed until about 11:30 p.m. Both vehicles were towed by Pittsfield Towing.

The crash is being investigated by the Alton Police Department.

“It is consistent with what appeared to be a head-on-style accident, but for the cause of that, I refer you to the Alton Police,” Reinert said.

Reinert said police spoke to witnesses at the scene, but did not have further information. A message left for Police Chief Adam Painchaud was not immediately returned.

Route 11

Route 11, in both Alton and Gilford, has been the site of a number of fatal accidents over the years, albeit in different sections.

This isn’t the first time someone has been killed in the section of Henry Wilson near Heron Point. Stacey Odette-Bissell, 40, of Rochester, died in a head-on collision there, in a crash which also seriously injured a 31-year-old woman from Berwick, Maine, on April 28.

Anthony Velez, 25, of Bridgewater, crashed his motorcycle near the Belknap Point motel, in Gilford, on what is known as Lake Shore Road on Sept. 25. The location is susceptible to fatal accidents, including a fatal accident during a previous Laconia Motorcycle Week. George and Mary Worthington, a couple visiting from New York, were killed on Aug. 28, 2020.

Other serious accidents in that area have resulted in serious injuries. Gilford Police Capt. Adam VanSteensburg said, after the Sept. 25 accident, another crash happened in May, where a driver couldn’t negotiate a turn, which was also the case in Velez' accident.

At Wednesday’s Gilford Selectboard meeting, Town Administrator Kris Kelley said the road near the Belknap Point Inn has been a topic of discussion between staff of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and local police and town leaders.

In an accident Aug. 21, 79-year-old Mark Mason, of Gilford, was killed in collision where Weirs Road intersects with Route 11, in Gilford.

Three motorcyclists — Robin and Scott Blomerth, and TJ Sullivan — were killed in September 2025, when a Jeep collided with them in a head-on collision. The accident happened near the Alton line.