WILDER — A 69-year-old Norwich man was seriously injured in a motor vehicle collision on Monday morning on the I-91 Northbound Exit 12 ramp in Wilder.
Hartford resident Joe Trottier, 78, was driving a 2013 Chrysler 300 when he struck a box truck parked on the right-hand shoulder of the ramp while exiting the highway, according to a news release from Vermont State Police.
The collision pushed the truck into the operator, Peter Griggs, who was outside of the vehicle at the time. The impact caused “serious bodily injuries” to Griggs, who was transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
Griggs, a delivery driver for Willing Hands, was still being treated at DHMC as of about 4 p.m. Tuesday, hospital spokesperson Cassidy Smith said. He was in “fair condition,” meaning his vital signs were stable and he was conscious with favorable health indicators.
Trottier also received minor injuries from the impact. The collision totaled both vehicles.
Willing Hands, a Norwich-based nonprofit that recovers and redistributes fresh food from farms and businesses to social service organizations in the Upper Valley, owns the box truck involved in the accident, Executive Director Gabe Zoerheide said Tuesday.
The organization was waiting on further information from the state police to understand exactly what happened and did not have further information, Zoerheide said.
Trottier, a Republican candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives Windsor-6, declined to comment when reached by phone on Tuesday. He is seeking to unseat one of the two incumbent Democrats, Kevin “Coach” Christie or Esme Cole, in the race for Hartford’s two-seat district.
Monday’s accident happened at 10:55 a.m., according to Vermont State Police. The ramp was closed for about an hour and a half following the crash.
VSP had no additional information in the case as of Tuesday morning, Adam Silverman, VSP spokesman, said via email.
VSP is conducting an investigation into the crash. Anyone who witnessed the crash is asked to contact Trooper Stacia Geno at the Royalton State Police Barracks at 802-234-9933.