A Maine man was allegedly driving under the influence when he crashed overnight on Interstate 95 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, seriously injuring himself and two others.
New Hampshire State Police say troopers responded around 1:53 a.m. to the Exit 3 on-ramp along I-95 for a single-vehicle crash and found a Honda Accord with several occupants.
The driver, identified as 40-year-old Michael Tardiff, and his two passengers were taken by ambulance to a local hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries, police said.
According to a preliminary investigation, Tardiff was traveling along the Exit 3 on-ramp towards I-95 north when, for reasons not known at this time, he lost control of his Honda while negotiating a curve, causing the vehicle to depart the left side of the on-ramp and head into an area of thick brush where it struck a tree in a wooded area adjacent to the on-ramp.
The Exit 3 on-ramp was closed to traffic for approximately two hors while troopers investigated the scene, and emergency personnel worked to remove the Honda from the wooded area.
All lanes of travel were reopened at 3:41 a.m. Monday, police said.
Tardiff, of Holden, Maine, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of drugs and reckless operation, police said. He was issued personal recognizance bail pending an appearance in Portsmouth District Court on Sept. 11. It was not immediately clear if he had already obtained a lawyer who could speak to the charges.
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All aspects of this crash remain under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Kevin Ledoux at Kevin.P.Ledoux@DOS.NH.GOV.
