Jessica Smith '05 sustained several broken ribs and a broken neck when the Chevrolet Cavalier she was driving struck a moose on Interstate 89 late Monday night. Smith, who was returning from Manchester airport with Samantha Schilling '05 and Jenny Jun '05, remained in the intensive care unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center until Tuesday night, when she was moved to the Neural Science Unit.
Jun and Schilling sustained minor lacerations when the windshield shattered on impact and were not admitted to DHMC. All three women were wearing their seatbelts.
The three Alpha Xi Delta sorority members were traveling outside East Concord, N.H., around 11 p.m. when the moose appeared in their headlights. The impact sent the car approximately 100 feet off the highway, shattering the windshield and ripping off the roof of the car. The moose was killed in the collision.
Smith has been up and walking, and underwent x-rays yesterday to determine if she will need to wear a metal halo to further stabilize her neck while it heals. Kenneth Smith, Jessica's father, said that the neck brace she is currently wearing should be sufficient, but that she will have to wear it for three to four months.
Kenneth estimated that Jessica should be released from DHMC within the next few days, but said that she will probably stay at Dick's House for a period of time while she heals.
Drivers should exercise extra caution when driving in moose country at this time of year, because moose actively seek mates in the spring. Traveling below the speed limit during dusk and dawn, anticipating seeing moose during these times and scanning the sides of the road while driving can reduce moose collisions, according to Kristine Bontaites, moose project leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
There are more than 200 car-moose collisions a year in New Hampshire, according to the Fish and Game Department, and car accidents with the 1000 lb. animals can be deadly.
"Jessica certainly could have had a lot worse," Kenneth said. "She's lucky to be able to walk out of here. It's a pretty serious thing -- she's a very lucky girl -- but I think she's going to come through this fine."
