WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011
VOL. 20 NO. 160
BERLIN, N.H.
752-5858
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Slick roads result in driver death in Whitefield BY MELISSA GRIMA THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
WHITEFIELD — Slick road conditions are being blamed for a fatal truck crash in Whitefield on Tuesday morning. According to NH State Police, the driver of the truck was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which resulted in the load of steel beams shifting forward into the cab of the truck and crushing it. The name of the driver has not yet been released. J.R. Reed Inc. Motor Carrier of Dyer, Tennessee, confirmed that it was their truck and driver involved in the crash and that the truck was bound for Canaan, Vt. The company declined to comment further on the incident or identity of the driver. A U.S. Border Station is under construction in Canaan, though it is not
immediately known if this load of steel beams was bound for that project. The incident occurred at 5:50 a.m. as NH Department of Transportation road crews were actively treating local highways for the mixed precipitation that had fallen overnight. Police said that the truck was headed north on Route 116, and lost traction coming down the hill into Whitefield. When the truck, a 2006 Peterbilt, approached the three-way intersection with Route 3, it failed to navigate the turn and struck a steel support and sheared off a gas pump at Lufkin’s Service Center before continuing through the parking lot, over the bank and into the riverbed below. Whitefield Police and Fire Departments, NH State Police, Lancaster see DEATH page 8
City Council puts off decision on storage shed City Council notes BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
BERLIN – The city council Monday night tabled a resolution to go out to bid for construction of a new salt and sand shed after Councilor Michael Rozek provided information on a cheaper option. Public Works Director Michael Perreault met with the council a week ago and proposed building an outdoor storage facility that would contain three bins to hold sand, salt, and a mixture of both. Built of concrete, galvanized steel, and wood, the cost to construct the shed was esti-
mated at $209,000. The council indicated it would support putting the project out for bids to see if it could attract a competitive bid that would be under the $200,000 mark. But over the past week, Rozek said he did some research and discovered Lancaster, Monroe, and Pike Industries are using a truss storage building comprised of a galvanized steel frame covered by a fabric that will last up to 15 years. Rozek estimated the cost of building two such sheds – one for salt and one for sand would be around $60,000. He noted that approach would save the city a lot of money. see COUNCIL page 6
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The driver of this truck hauling steel to Canaan, Vt., did not survive the early morning crash that sent his rig sliding through the intersection of Routes 116 and 3 in Whitefield and into the John’s River on Tuesday. (MELISSA GRIMA PHOTO)
NH Supreme Court rules against former business owner BY MELISSA GRIMA THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
CONCORD — In an opinion issues on Dec. 15, the NH Supreme Court ruled that a former Berlin business owner is not entitled to the workers compensation he had been receiving. Raymond Letellier, who formerly owned Steelelements in Gorham with his partner Scott Coulombe, appealed a decision by the NH Compensation Appeals Board (CAB) that reimbursed his medical bills and expenses but did not offer benefits beyond that. Steelelements and its insurer Chartis Insurance also appealed the CAB decision, arguing that Letellier should not have received any benefits as his condition was not a “compensable work-related injury.” The court ruled 3-2 in favor of Steelelements, concluding that Letellier’s medical issues did not meet the definition of the statutory definition of the term “injury,” thereby affirming the denial of benefits and reversing the award for medical bills and expenses.
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Through his attorney Richard J. Walsh, III, Letellier argued that work-related stress had caused hypertension and major depression, which prohibited him from working. According to court documents Letellier received psychiatric care in 2009 resulting from depression, which several doctors attributed to the failure of his business as well as other life stresses. Main causes of the business failure as cited in the decision include a 2007 fire, and subsequent rebuilding which far exceeded cost projections. As a result of the expensive new facility, the business struggled and eventually closed. Letellier filed for personal and business bankruptcy following the closure.
In its majority decision, the court ruled that the business failure was a “normal condition of employment,” and therefore could be likened to a layoff, termination, transfer or “any similar action” as laid out in the statute governing worker’s compensation. This key finding led thejustices
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