New Hampshire: Driver loses license after cruiser crash

A Campton man, who crashed his car into a stopped police cruiser in December 2013, seriously injuring the New Hampshire State Trooper who was inside, pleaded guilty to reduced charges on Thursday.

John Spurling, 62, of 375 Upper Mad River Road, was originally charged with felony counts of second-degree assault and reckless conduct for sideswiping a Dodge Charger cruiser on Interstate 93, just north of Exit 23 in New Hampton.

Defense Attorney Mark Sisti said Spurling was a law-abiding citizen, and that the incident was an unfortunate accident.

Sgt. David McCormack, Assistant Troop Commander for Troop E barracks, based in Tamworth, was inside the cruiser parked in the breakdown lane of the highway with its emergency blue lights flashing, conducting a motor vehicle stop, when the impact occurred at about 10 a.m. He had just returned to his vehicle with the stopped driver's license and registration, and had not yet buckled his seatbelt when the collision took place.

Spurling was driving a white 2014 Kia sedan northbound, when the passenger front side of his car struck the cruiser, crumpling both the rear and front passenger side doors, and tearing off the side-view mirror.

According to a press release issued by State Police at the time of the incident, McCormack, a veteran trooper who lives in Belknap County, was taken by ambulance to Speare Memorial Hospital for “treatment of multiple injuries and observation” following the accident. A spokesman for the Plymouth hospital said McCormack was treated and released.

The crash occurred on a straight stretch of highway in an area with a posted speed limit of 70 mph, in the vicinity of a crossover that is frequently patrolled by State Police conducting traffic enforcement using radar.

The New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction (C.A.R.) Unit was called in to investigate the cause of the crash.