New Info Released
On Teen Crashes

State police this week supplied follow-up information on last weekend’s two serious crashes, one Sept. 28 in Braintree that resulted in the death of 13-year-old Nathan Allard, and the Chelsea crash the following day that left a Chelsea High School senior in critical condition with a spinal injury.

Morgan Wadkins, of Washington, who was airlifted to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center following the Sept. 29 crash, was discharged from the hospital Tuesday morning. She is facing likely paralysis and a long rehabilitation, her father said last week.

Police said this week she had been a passenger in a car driven by Jordan N. Grenier, 18, of Barre. Grenier was southbound on Route 110 in Chelsea, north of the village, when he lost control of his 1998 Mazda Protégé, according to police.

Grenier’s vehicle struck a dirt embankment off the highway, crossed both lanes of traffic, and then traveled down a 30-foot embankment, causing the car to roll several times.

Grenier was transported to Central Vermont Hospital with possible head injuries. Wadkins was extracted from the vehicle by rescue personnel and was airlifted to DHMC. Police indicated that Grenier had been using his seatbelt, but did not report whether Wadkins had used hers.

Braintree Fatal

State police have concluded that the single-vehicle rollover Sept. 28 that resulted in the death of 13-year-old Nathan Allard was a "low-speed collision." According to Sr. Tpr. Barbara Zonay, the young teen "would most likely have survived" had he been wearing a seatbelt."

The crash occurred after driver Zachary Allard, 17, of Braintree, was distracted by a dog in the cab of the 1997 Mazda pickup, which was between Allard and his younger brother.

"When the operator noticed that he was swerving to the right, he overcorrected and lost control of the vehicle," Zonay wrote in her report. "The vehicle went off the right side of the road, and rolled once, coming to rest against a tree, on its wheels.

"During the rollover, the passenger was ejected. Unfortunately the vehicle landed on top of the passenger, causing his death."

Allard told police he had been going 35-40 mph at the time of the crash.

The trooper said this week that tire marks, a speed calculation, and a small "debris scene" all indicated that this was a low-speed collision.

"Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury to children 14 and under throughout the United States," according to information from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program. "Child restraints can reduce the risk of death and injury by as much as 70%."