Manchester Man In Wheelchair Struck, Killed; Pedestrian Injured, Too

MANCHESTER, NH — Manchester firefighters were at their headquarters on Merrimack Street when they heard a crash in front of the station on Wednesday.

They quickly began medical treatment of two pedestrians struck by a vehicle and possibly a second one at Merrimack and Pine streets at about 9:33 p.m. CPR was started immediately on a man who had severe injuries but despite life-saving measures, he died at the scene. A second pedestrian was evaluated and eventually transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Manchester police closed down and taped off the area, and began an accident investigation. At 1:45 a.m., the deceased remained at the scene while the medical examiner documented the incident.

Witnesses said the man was being pushed in a wheelchair by a woman when they were both struck on Pine Street.

Manchester Police Sgt. Michael Donahue said the accident involved two different vehicles and two pedestrians. A black Honda Civic was driven by Hillary Dentremont, 28, of Manchester who after an investigation was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

The second vehicle, a white GMC pickup truck, was driven by a 30-year-old Manchester man. Neither of the drivers of the vehicles was physically injured in the accident.

Police said the pedestrian killed was a 47-year-old Manchester man. The second pedestrian is a 34-year-old woman who sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash and was transported to a local hospital. The name of the man killed has not been released, awaiting next of kin notification.

This is the second fatal pedestrian accident near two homeless shelters in the center city area of Manchester. In January, a man was struck at Merrimack and Union streets by a vehicle that fled the scene. The driver of the vehicle, who was later identified, took his own life. That incident occurred within the same block as Wednesday's fatal accident.

A large homeless population gathers on the sidewalks outside the Families In Transition Shelter and are commonly traveling on foot in the area.

At the scene Wednesday night, a large number of personal belongings and a sleeping bag could be seen near the man. Although the street was partially paved this week, the crosswalks had been repainted, and that does not appear to be a factor in the crash.

The cause and factors of this crash are under investigation by the Manchester Police Department Traffic Unit. If you have any information regarding this incident, police as you to call the Manchester Police Department Investigator Wood of the Traffic Unit at 603-792-5449.

Jeffrey Hastings