MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE — A box truck driven by a 26-year-old Massachusetts man plunged approximately 50 feet off an Interstate 293 bridge into the Merrimack River Wednesday morning after a chain reaction involving up to six vehicles, leaving the driver standing on top of the submerged truck awaiting rescue while a minor in another vehicle suffered serious injuries. Seven of eleven patients were transported to hospitals.
New Hampshire State Police received the call at 7:38 a.m. on September 23 for a crash on northbound I-293 at Exit 2 in Manchester. The preliminary investigation determined at least two chain reaction crashes occurred involving up to six vehicles. Dylan Pagan Rodriguez, 26, of Fall River, Massachusetts, lost control of his box truck during the chain of events, broke through the guardrail, and went over the side of the bridge into the river.
Rodriguez was not injured. After the truck went into the water, he climbed out of the cab and stood on the roof of the partially submerged truck, waiting to be rescued. Manchester and Bedford fire departments both launched boats simultaneously — one for the river rescue and one for the multi-vehicle crash on the bridge.
“My first observation, besides what was on the bridge, was the driver standing on the roof of the truck that’s below us, waiting to be rescued,” said Bedford Fire Chief Frank Fraitzl.
Of the eleven patients, seven were transported to hospitals. None of the injuries were believed to be life-threatening except for one — a minor passenger in another vehicle who suffered serious injuries. The guardrail was destroyed in the crash and the bridge was temporarily shut down.
Getting the Truck Out
The box truck was empty at the time of the crash, which Bedford Deputy Fire Chief Eric Dubowek said was a great sign for recovery. A dive team entered the water to attach ropes to the submerged truck. A crane then slowly lifted it back up to the bridge deck, over the broken guardrail.
“That’s what we were worried about when we picked it up off the bottom — the current taking it into the bridge,” said tow truck driver Roland Blais. “That’s why we stopped after we broke the water. We stopped all the traffic and then finished the job.”
A light sheen was observed on the water’s surface. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services deployed booms to contain any potential spill. I-293 northbound was reduced to one lane for hours before fully reopening at approximately 4:15 p.m.
Seven departments responded to the scene including New Hampshire State Police, Marine Patrol, Bedford police and fire, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, NHDOT, NH Fish and Game, and NH Department of Environmental Services.
The crash remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed the crash or has photos or video is asked to contact Trooper Matthew Howe at Matthew.S.Howe@dos.nh.gov or 603-451-9588.
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