One man died and five others were injured after a five-car collision following the football game Saturday afternoon on East Wheelock Street in front of Topliff dormitory.
Police said Joseph Loew, 60, of Lebanon, N.H., died of cardiac arrest a few minutes after an ambulance transported him to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
A police spokesman said last night they were investigating whether the cardiac arrest caused Loew to lose control of his car and careen into the other stopped vehicles.
Police investigations will know the exact cause in a few days. A preliminary investigation determined that neither alcohol or slippery roads caused the tangle.
Loew's blue Ford Explorer accelerated into a car owned by Elmer Fulton '34 at around 4 p.m. Fulton's car was stopped in traffic at the intersection of East Wheelock and Crosby Streets, Hanover Police Sgt. Chris O'Connor said.
Fulton, 80, was taken to the hospital by an ambulance crew for neck and back injuries. He was later released.
Fulton's beige Plymouth then rear-ended a car driven by David Colburn, 44, of Rutland, Vt. causing damage to the trunk and sides.
Colburn's 10-year-old son was taken to the hospital for observation but was also released.
Bystanders who saw the accident said Loew did not brake while driving westward on East Wheelock. They said he accelerated rapidly when he approached the cars.
Two other cars were involved in the accident, one driven by William Longftreth, 73, of Philadelphia and by Samantha Knapp, 22, of Lincoln, N.H. Both drivers were taken to the hospital for neck and back injuries.
Knapp's car was bumped from behind and pushed for about 100 feet in front of the accident.
Knapp's passenger, Shirley Ingerson, was treated for whiplash.
Two children who were secured in safety seats in back of the car were not injured but were crying as a police volunteer comforted them.
O'Connor said an bystander opened the door and removed Loew's foot from the accelerator peddle after the crash. The 1992 Explorer was still pushing into the rear of Fulton's car.
Police had to break the car's back window in order to remove Loew and to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
O'Connor said traffic was bad because the football game had just ended. He said an officer was not directing traffic at the intersection.
