Motor Vehicle Crash Results in Highway Closure

HAMPTON, New Hampshire - On Friday, September 15, 2023, at approximately 9:36 p.m., Troopers assigned to the New Hampshire State Police Troop A Barracks responded to Route 101 East in the vicinity of the Interstate 95 interchange for a report of a two-car motor vehicle crash, involving entrapment. 

Preliminary investigation at the scene of the crash revealed that a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu, operated by Eric Jenkins, age 22, of Chandler, Arizona, had been traveling the wrong way in a westerly direction along Route 101 East in the Town of Hampton. While traveling the wrong way against the designated direction within the divided section of the highway in this area, the Chevrolet collided head-on with a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage, operated by Melisa Kizoglu, age 23, of Hampton, New Hampshire. Following the crash, the Chevrolet came to rest upon the travel portion of the highway while the Mitsubishi traveled off the paved portion of the highway and came to rest on the grass shoulder. As a result of the crash, Kizoglu was entrapped in the Mitsubishi and was later extricated by emergency personnel. Being that the vehicles involved in the crash and debris spanned across all of Route 101 East, Troopers immediately facilitated a closure of all travel lanes in the immediate area of the crash scene to allow for treatment of the injured by emergency personnel and investigation of the crash scene by Troopers. As a result of the circumstances, Troopers assigned to the New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit were requested and subsequently responded to the scene to assist with the crash investigation. 

The operator of the Chevrolet, Jenkins, was transported to a local area hospital as a precaution. After being extricated from the Mitsubishi, the operator of the Mitsubishi, Kizoglu, was stabilized at the scene by emergency personnel and airlifted via Boston Medflight helicopter to a Boston area hospital for treatment of serious injuries. 

All travel lanes of Route 101 East remained closed at Exit 12 and the flow of traffic was rerouted onto Route 111 and Route 27 in the Town of Exeter for approximately three and a half hours. Eventually, Route 101 East was fully reopened to traffic at approximately 1:42 a.m. 

Multiple agencies assisted at the scene of the crash to include Troopers assigned to the New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit, the Hampton Police Department, the Hampton Fire Department, Boston Medflight, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and New England Truck Center.

All aspects of this crash remain under investigation.  Anyone with information pertaining to this crash is asked to contact Trooper Brighton at Clark.A.Brighton@dos.nh.gov or by calling New Hampshire State Police Headquarters Communications Unit at (603) 223-4381.