Man arrested after wrong-way crash in Manchester – NBC Boston

A man was 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 said 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 .

About two minutes later, a head-on collision occurred just over a mile south, at mile marker 1.2 on I-293 north.

A preliminary investigation reveals that James Defeo, 21, of Bedford, was driving his Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck in the wrong direction when he collided head-on with a Kia Optima.

The driver of the Kia, identified as Kyle Sariceno, 34, of Manchester, was seriously injured in the crash and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, police said.

Defeo was not injured.

Police say officers determined impairment was the primary contributing factor in the crash.

Defeo was arrested and charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, reckless driving involving a deadly weapon and traffic assault. Defeo has refused bail and will be arraigned on Monday in Manchester District Court, police said. It was not immediately clear whether he had obtained an attorney.

Northbound traffic in the area was detoured through 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 [email protected].