Motorcyclist badly hurt in Gilford

GILFORD — The rising sun appears to have contributed to a collision on Wednesday morning that caused serious injury to a motorcyclist.

A male motorcyclist, an Alton resident, was transported to Concord Hospital-Concord after the crash. No other injuries were reported.

According to Lt. Adam VanSteensburg of Gilford Police, the motorcyclist was traveling west on Route 11 at around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning, when he collided with a work van that had been traveling in the opposite direction on Route 11, and was in the process of turning left onto Lily Pond Road.

VanSteensburg said there were four passengers in the van, which was registered in Massachusetts, and none of the van’s occupants were harmed.

There were multiple witnesses to the accident, and some witnesses indicated that the low angle of the sun might have made it difficult for the van driver to see the approaching motorcycle.

“The motorcyclist looked like he had significant head injuries and leg injuries,” VanSteensburg said.

The Belknap Accident Reconstruction Team is investigating the crash. Though it’s still early in the investigation, VanSteensburg said he did not, at that moment, expect criminal charges to be brought against the van driver.

Police were able to keep traffic flowing through the intersection during the busy morning commute.