MERRIMACK, NH — New Hampshire State Police said speed appears to be a factor in a multi-vehicle accident on the Everett Turnpike on Tuesday.

Merrimack Fire, police, and New Hampshire State Police received multiple reports just before 9 a.m. of cars involved in an accident in the northbound and southbound lanes in the area of Exit 12. Callers reported one vehicle was on fire and a man was trapped inside the vehicle.

When responders arrived, they found a car that had been pieced by a guardrail with a man trapped inside. Bystanders had used fire extinguishers to put out the engine compartment fire. An off-duty Manchester firefighter, who was first at the scene, broke windows to access the man and began administering medical attention to him.

Merrimack firefighters used hydraulic spreading and cutting tools to remove the roof and doors to gain access to the patient. While working to extricate the man, additional personnel evaluated people from four northbound vehicles that were involved in the crash.

After about 25 minutes, the man was removed from the vehicle and rushed to Elliot Hospital with serious injuries. Several occupants of the vehicles on the northbound side of the turnpike were treated at the scene, and some were transported with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.

Troopers from the New Hampshire State Police Troop B Barracks and the Collision Analysis & Reconstruction (CAR) Unit responded to the scene.

State police say a 2013 Hyundai Sonata operated by Sean McConnell, 32, of Manchester, was in the median and heavily damaged and impaled by the guardrail. State police say the injuries are serious and appear to be life-threatening.

Troopers also discovered the crash involving McConnell caused large pieces of the guardrail to be forced into the northbound side of the F.E. Everett Turnpike, causing a multi-vehicle pileup in that same area.

The F.E. Everett Turnpike was completely closed for about 30 minutes as personnel assessed for inj