Woman hurt, cited after three-car crash near The Ridge

Two of the cars involved in the crash had to be separated by a tow truck. (Rochester Police photo)

ROCHESTER - A woman and a child were sent to the hospital on Monday after a three-car crash in front of The Ridge Marketplace on Farmington Road.

The accident occurred around 10:05 a.m. when police say Katherine Ayer, 31 of Rochester, was traveling westbound when she became distracted and did not observe that traffic was stopping in front of her. Her 2010 Nissan Sentra then struck the rear of a 2013 Toyota Prius driven by by Alexis Kust, 20, of Wolfeboro, which pushed his vehicle to the side of the roadway. Meanwhlie, the momentum of Ayer's vehicle caused her to strike another car, a 2013 Nissan Rogue operated by Marc Whitney, 32 of Center Barnstead.

All three vehicles were located in the westbound lane of travel adjacent to the divider in front of the Ridge with two of them locked together in place, so a tow truck was required to separate them. During cleanup westbound traffic had to be diverted through the Ridge parking lot.

A child in the Nissan Rogue was transported to Frisbie Memorial Hospital for precautionary reasons, while Ayer was taken there for a shoulder injury. While there, she was cited for Operating After Suspension, Suspension of Registration of Vehicle and Negligent Driving.

The westbound lane was closed for about 50 minutes.