Portsmouth man dead, West Ossipee man seriously hurt in head-on Milton crash

Scene of Friday cras on Route 16 in Milton (NHSP photo)

MILTON - A Portsmouth man is deceased, and a West Ossipee man seriously injured after a collision on Route 16 in Milton on Friday.

The crash occurred around 4:35 a.m. near mile marker 32.4 where police found two cars, a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta and a 2024 Nissan Kicks, in opposing breakdown lanes, both heavily damaged, according to a Department of Safety release.

About three minutes before the crash State Police received a report of a vehicle traveling northbound in the southbound lane near mile marker 32 in Milton.

The preliminary investigation determined that Edward Correia, 77, of Portsmouth, had been traveling in the Volkswagen northbound in the southbound lane of travel when he collided with the southbound Nissan driven by Jeremiah Coleman, 67, of West Ossipee.

Poice believe that Correia was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. He was pronounced deceased on scene. Coleman was transported to a local hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

The stretch of Route 16 between exits 17 and 18 remained closed for approximately three hours while traffic was diverted and emergency personnel worked at the scene. Troopers were assisted by members of the Milton Police and Fire Departments, Farmington Police Department, Wakefield Police and Fire Departments, and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

All aspects of this crash remain under investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Trooper Shane McClure at Shane.M.McClure@dos.nh.gov.