Independent New Hampshire Journalism · Northfield, NHHAMPTON, N.H. — New Hampshire State Police investigated a chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles — including two tractor-trailers — inside the open road tolling (ORT) lanes on Interstate 95 in Hampton early Thursday, September 25, 2025.
Troopers say dispatch received the first 911 calls at 6:42 a.m. Initial reports indicated five vehicles were involved, two of them semi-trucks. According to a preliminary investigation, the sequence began when a white car stopped in the ORT lanes, then accelerated and drove off. That abrupt stop-and-go forced the driver of a 2024 Land Rover, Martin Smith, 57, of Newburyport, Mass., to brake hard. A 2013 Chevy Express van driven by Kedwin Mendez, 23, of Nashua, struck the Land Rover from behind, and a 2017 Mercedes Sprinter, driven by George Gould, 62, of Port Orange, Fla., then hit the rear of the Chevy.
As that three-vehicle collision unfolded, the operators of two northbound tractor-trailers — a 2024 Freightliner driven by James Noble, 59, of Kensington, and a 2022 Kenworth driven by Moris Tejada Portillo, 26, of Lynn, Mass. — took evasive action to avoid the wreck and collided with each other, disabling both rigs.
Injuries: State Police said Noble and his passenger were transported to a local hospital as a precaution. No other injuries were reported.
Traffic impact: The northbound toll lanes were closed for roughly two hours while crews cleared the scene. Hampton Fire Rescue, North Hampton Fire & Rescue, and the N.H. Department of Transportation assisted.
Call for witnesses: State Police sought to identify and speak with the driver of the white car that stopped in the toll lanes before driving away, and asked anyone with information to contact Trooper Sean Kennedy at 603-223-4381 or Sean.K.Kennedy@dos.nh.gov.
Sources: New Hampshire State Police information as reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader and Patch.
Corrections: Granite State Report corrects verified errors promptly and appends a dated note identifying what changed and when. The corrections policy and the corrections register are public, and correction notes are never removed.
