A Ford Explorer pursued by the Lebanon Police caused a dramatic three-car accident on Route 120 Monday. The accident occurred in front of the Go-Go Mart in Hanover at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday, according to police reports.
Lebanon Police trailed the Explorer northbound on Route 120 before discontinuing the chase near Lebanon's Centerra Shopping Center. The sports utility vehicle then allegedly hit the rear bumper of a Chevrolet GeoTracker traveling in the same lane, rolling the GeoTracker several times. The Explorer subsequently swerved into oncoming traffic, striking a Ford Econoline van head-on and coming to rest near the intersection between Route 120 and Medical Center Drive.
The driver of the Explorer left his car after the accident, fleeing into adjacent woods where police arrested him shortly thereafter. The apprehended driver was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment, as were three others who had been riding in the two additional cars involved in the accident.
Police and hospital reports stated that the three drivers and one passenger sustained some injuries, but did not divulge their precise nature or the names of the victims. Hanover Police had not released further information on the status of any of the four people as of Monday night. The on-duty nursing supervisor at DHMC expressed uncertainty about the patients' medical status but noted that more than one patient had been treated in the hospital's Emergency Department.
The southbound lane of Route 120 was closed to traffic from the time of the accident until around 6:30 p.m., Hanover Police Dispatcher Timothy Goodwin said.