A Lynn woman was killed and four other people were injured after colliding with a pickup truck driven by an allegedly drunk driver in Gilford, N.H., on Tuesday.
Police identified Tiana Lozzi, 20, as the woman killed. She was in the passenger seat of the SUV in the crash. The head-on collision occurred shortly before 4 p.m. on a curve near Route 11. The story was initially reported by the Laconia Daily Sun.
John Bonilla, 20, also of Lynn, was the driver of the SUV, described by police as a Nissan Murano. He was taken to Lakes Region General Hospital (LRGH) by ambulance, then taken by helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Memorial Center in Lebanon, N.H.
An unidentified 45-year-old woman who was seated in the backseat of the SUV was taken by ambulance directly to Laconia Airport, where she was also airlifted by helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Memorial Center. Her injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Lozzi and Bonilla’s 1-year-old son, and an unidentified 3-year-old, were also in the backseat of the SUV. The two toddlers were described as being in stable condition.
The Daily Sun reported that a spokesman at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center was unable to comment on the current condition of Bonilla.
The man driving the pickup truck was identified by police as Richard J. Conrod, 47, of Belmont, N.H. He was taken to LRGH for treatment. Police say he was traveling west and crossed the center line, driving into the lane of oncoming traffic.
Police said Conrod, the sole occupant in his truck, was intoxicated. He has since been charged with negligent homicide while driving under the influence.
Before the crash, police dispatchers received a call at 4:01 p.m. from a male motorist traveling westbound on Route 11, according to a press release from the Gilford Police Department. The motorist reported he was following a pickup truck that was driving erratically. He was able to give dispatchers a description of the truck and a license plate number.
At 4:06 p.m., multiple calls came in to the dispatcher about a serious car crash, just east of Ellacoya State Park, according to police. Officers arrived on the scene within minutes; they had been headed in that direction trying to locate the erratic driver. The officers quickly determined that the pickup truck described as operating erratically just five minutes beforehand was a match to one of the vehicles in the collision.
Since being released from the hospital, Conrod was released on $25,000 personal recognizance bail pending his Sept. 13 arraignment.
