Gilford rollover, accidents in Alton, Belmont caused by weather

The snowy weather caused a rollover accident on Lake Shore Road near the airport on Sunday morning, and firefighters and police throughout the Lakes Region were busy with weather-related accidents all day, most without injury.

At 11:37 a.m. on Dec. 14, an 18-year-old male driver was heading westbound on Lake Shore Road near the airport runway in Gilford. Gilford Deputy Police Chief Dustin Parent said the driver told police he lost control in the snow, overcorrected, and flipped his 2003 Chevy 2500 pickup truck.

Gilford Fire Chief Steve Carrier said the driver was able to get out himself before firefighters arrived. Parent said the Chevy was the only vehicle involved, and the driver was the sole occupant. No injuries were reported in the crash. The truck was towed from the scene, and the accident did not require closing the road.

First responders say the accident seemed to be caused by the weather.

“The roads were snow-covered,” Carrier said.

Parent said there were “a bunch” of accidents on Sunday that appeared to be weather-related, and were minor, with no serious injuries. According to Gilford Police logs, there was an accident at 12:54 p.m. at the intersection of Henderson and Intervale roads; an accident on Cherry Valley Road at 1:03 p.m.; a crash at 1:36 p.m. on Cumberland Road; and another accident on Cherry Valley Road at 4:30 p.m.

Belmont police also responded to one weather-related accident at the intersection of Dearborn and Depot streets on Sunday.

According to Belmont Police Chief Steve Akerstrom, at 1:49 p.m. on Dec. 14, a vehicle went off the road and needed to be towed from the scene. He said there was no report of any injuries, and it was the only vehicle involved.

“This happens with road conditions like we had yesterday,” Akerstrom said, adding the storm seems like it caught people by surprise.

Belmont Fire Chief Debra Black said her department was not called to the scene, as they were busy with assisting Gilmanton with a couple minor accidents.

“We were helping out Gilmanton with a few cars off the road,” Black said.

Black said one accident in Gilmanton was discovered by Belmont Fire as they were coming back from another crash. While it was also minor, they stopped to help Gilmanton Police with diverting traffic as the scene was cleared.

The Alton Fire Department responded to an accident on Route 11 at 10:11 a.m. on Sunday. According to Alton Chief James Reinert, the crash involved two vehicles, and he believes the inclement weather at the time of the crash led to the collision.

No airbags were deployed, and there weren’t any injuries reported from the accident.