Local

81-year-old woman killed in N.H. head-on collision

The other driver sustained serious injuries, but her infant passenger was unharmed.

A picture of the crash that resulted in the death of 81-year-old Swanzey resident Leslie Keeton. Photo courtesy of the New Hampshire State Police Facebook page

By Melissa Ellin

March 20, 2023

An 81-year-old woman is dead following a head-on collision in New Hampshire Monday morning, according to New Hampshire State Police.

Leslie Keeton, 81, was driving a GMC Acadia on Route 10 near Sawyers Crossing Road in Swanzey when she crashed into Jocelyn Shelley-Blanchard, who was driving a Kia Sorento with an infant, police said.

Shelley-Blanchard sustained serious injuries, but her infant passenger was unharmed. Shelley-Blanchard’s injuries are believed to be non-life threatening, police said.

Both drivers were taken to the Cheshire Medical Center where Keeton was pronounced dead.

New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction shut down the road for several hours after the crash to investigate the scene. Swanzey Police Department, the Swanzey Fire Department, DiLuzio Ambulance, and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation all assisted.

Further investigation into the crash is still underway and those with information are being asked to contact Trooper Paul Bergeron at (603) 223-8494 or [email protected]