Truck Hits, Kills Driver Who Pulled Over to Change Places With Passenger

(Mark Makela/Getty Images)

One person was killed and two others were injured in a crash on Saturday night, Dec. 23, in Windham, according to the New Hampshire State Police.

The driver, 19-year-old Ashley St. Onge, died when a tractor-trailer struck her 2004 Volvo S40 that was parked on the side of the road. St. Onge was concerned about driving on an icy road and she pulled over to switch seats to let boyfriend, Nicholas Hadley, 19, drive her car, reported the Boston Globe.

When St. Onge and Hadley were both outside the car, the tractor-trailer was unable to stop due to road conditions, NECN reported. It hit their vehicle from behind.

Both St. Onge and Hadley were found on an embankment near the highway. And another passenger, 18-year-old Hailey Wizboski, of Methuen, Massachusetts, was discovered inside the car, CBS Boston reported.

St. Onge suffered fatal injuries, and she later died at a hospital. Hadley, meanwhile, suffered life-threatening injuries, according to the CBS report. Wizboski suffered minor injuries.

There were no injuries to the driver of the truck, NECN reported.

St. Onge had graduated from Lowell Catholic and was studying early childhood education at Northern Essex Community College.

“The Lowell Catholic Community is heartbroken with this tragedy,” wrote Head of School Maryellen DeMarco in a statement. “Ashley was a conscientious student, a devoted member of our ambassador club and a member of our dance team. She was pursuing studies in early childhood education at Northern Essex Community College. Our hearts and prayers go out to the St. Onge family during this devastating time.”

St. Onge “was in a great spot in her life,” her father said, according to the Boston Herald. “He (Hadley) treated her like gold. He was an extension of me, taking care of her.”

The crash is still under investigation, according to NECN.

“I'd like to express our condolences to the families that are involved in the accident,” Windham Fire Department Lt. Jay Moltenbrey told The Associated Press. “It’s a tough time of year. The guys took it pretty hard, good to get home to their families today.”

Moltenbrey told AP that it’s quite dangerous to be on a road or highway without a vehicle.

“It’s one of the most dangerous things that we deal with is just passing traffic while we’re dealing with emergencies. Us, state police, local police and the tow truck operators,” he told AP.

“When the weather conditions deteriorate like they were we just hope people give extra room, take extra time, visibility is down so [people] just need to take extra time and extra care as we’re driving,” Moltenbrey said.