A police cruiser in Manchester, New Hampshire.
A man was allegedly driving impaired when he crashed head-on into another vehicle in Manchester, New Hampshire, early Saturday morning, seriously injuring the other driver.
New Hampshire State Police say they dispatched officers around 2:37 a.m. after reports of a wrong-way driver traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 293 near mile marker 2.4.
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About two minutes later, a head-on collision occurred just over a mile south at mile mark 1.2 on I-293 north.
A preliminary investigation shows 21-year-old James Defeo, of Bedford, was driving his Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck in the wrong direction when he struck a Kia Optima head-on.
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The driver of the Kia, identified as 34-year-old Kyle Sariceno, of Manchester, suffered serious injuries from the crash and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.
Defeo was not hurt.
According to police, troopers determined that impairment was the primary contributing factor to the crash.
Defeo was arrested and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, reckless conduct involving a deadly weapon and vehicular assault. Defeo refused bail services and will be arraigned in Manchester District Court on Monday, police said. It was not immediately clear if he has obtained an attorney.
Northbound traffic in the area was detoured off Exit 1 for more than four hours during the investigation and cleanup, police said.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information that could assist in the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Noah Brown at 603-230-3084 or Noah.C.Brown@dos.nh.gov.
