Motorcycle crash near Mount Major on Tuesday sends 2 to hospitals, closes highway

ALTON — A 3-vehicle accident Tuesday afternoon closed Mount Major Highway for hours, and sent two people to area hospitals. 

A multi-car and motorcycle accident was reported in the early afternoon on June 16, in the parking lot of Mount Major Trailhead.

The accident was reported as an automobile vs motorcyclist, with two people involved. An ambulance from Gilford was requested, for the potential transportation of victims. Upon arrival, Alton firefighters found five people involved, along with two vehicles — a small sedan and pickup truck — and one motorcycle.

“The motorcyclist had a multisystem trauma and was transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital for treatment,” said Fire Chief James Reinert. “The second patient in a pickup truck was transported to Laconia Hospital." The other three people involved declined to be taken to the hospital.

“It appeared that this small sedan was turning left into the Mount Major parking lot, and it appeared that it was rear-ended by a gentleman in the pickup truck, which then pushed the sedan into oncoming traffic, which was the motorcyclist,” Reinert said.

“It came in as reported as on fire on our arrival. There was no evidence of that, so we don’t know if it was maybe steam from the radiator, because both vehicles had significant front-end damage, but there was no evidence of actual fire,” Reinert said.

Mount Major Highway was reopened within a few hours of the crash.