Four injured in two-vehicle crash in Alton

ALTON — An automatic vehicle crash alert system was the first to notify authorities that four people were injured in a two-car accident Tuesday night at the intersection of Mount Major Highway and Cherry Valley Road. 

The fire department was dispatched to the accident, involving a sedan and an SUV, at 7:43 p.m. On arrival to the scene, first responders found one vehicle upright off the roadway, and another on its side.

Four people sustained various injuries and were treated on the scene. The victims were then transported to Concord Hospital-Laconia, according to Alton Fire Capt. Pat O’Brien. Ambulances from Laconia and Gilford were called in to assist with transport. A fire engine and rescue vehicle were also at the scene.

The cause of the accident is not immediately known and is still being investigated.

The Alton Police Department was on scene investigating the crash, and a New Hampshire State Police trooper who was patrolling the area also arrived on scene to assist with traffic.

Eversource was also on scene at the accident as a utility pole was hit during the crash.

Mount Major Highway was closed for approximately 40 minutes as fire responders and police cleared the vehicles and debris.

While there were 911 calls reporting the accident, the first notification of the incident came from an automatic crash alert system from one of the vehicles involved. O’Brien said the alert system’s promptness potentially saved lives.

“The initial call came in from an automatic crash alert in one of the vehicles,” he said. “That was able to get emergency responders moving more quickly than an organic 911 call.”

General Motors included this feature in its OnStar feature in many of its cars starting in 1996. Since then, the technology has improved, and other car manufacturers began including this safety feature in their cars.