Two Men Die After SUV Veers Off Road In Lempster
LEMPSTER, N.H. — A driver who witnessed a crash that killed two Newport men might help investigators ascertain what happened.
The men weren’t wearing seatbelts when the sport utility vehicle drove at speeds near 50 mph off Route 10 in Lempster, state police said. Authorities said the vehicle just missed a telephone pole and landed in a stream.
State police are trying to figure out what both men were doing in the hours before the crash. It appears they were driving from the Keene area toward Newport at about 2 a.m. Sunday.
WMUR News 9’s Aaron Kellogg reported that state police are investigating whether alcohol has a role in the incident.
The driver, Jacob Maxfield, and a passenger, Brandon Melcher, died in the crash. Both men died at the crash site before paramedics could get them to a hospital.
Melcher, 26, was described by family as an outgoing person and a committed boyfriend in a nearly five-year relationship. Relatives said he was very close with his father and brother.
Maxfield, 21, was an avid sports fan who graduated from Endicott College, where he played football.
“It’s like a son. He’s gone,” said Joe Healie, a Maxfield family friend.
“I’m just going to miss him. He’s been a good friend of mine and helped me through some tough times,” said Chad Hemingway, a Maxfield family friend. “I’m going to miss him.”
The mangled and nearly flattened SUV was taken to a tow-truck lot in Newport with the keys still dangling in the ignition, Kellogg reported.
“It kind of gives you goose bumps when you see these accidents,” said James Simoneau, of Stone’s Towing.
Car parts lay strewn at the crash site.
“It was in water about a foot deep,” Simoneau said.
A witness told police that the Nissan Pathfinder was not speeding at the time.
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