Man dies in collision involving Secret Service agents

WAKEFIELD, N.H. - Four on-duty Secret Service agents were involved in a head-on collision on Route 16 in which a man in the vehicle they collided with died.

A press release from Wakefield police early today said the man killed, Bruce Danforth, 45, was the driver of a Mercury Sable that crossed the center line while heading northbound a little after 7 p.m. when it struck a Ford Taurus which carried four on-duty Secret Service agents.

The accident occurred in the vicinity of Wakefield Hill.

Danforth died at the scene. His passengers, Natasha Meroski, 35, and Kristina Buswell, 21, were taken to Frisbee Memorial Hospital and Huggins Hospital for treatment.

The names of the agents have not been released. They were also taken to Frisbee Memorial Hospital with what were described as serious but non-life-threatening injuries, with one of them later transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

There was no word on why the agents were in the state or whether or not they were part of security for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, who was in the state on Monday.

State and Wakefield police are investigating the crash. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tfc. Christopher Storm at 603-223-8607 or Christopher.storm@dos.nh.gov.

Wakefield Police today could not confirm with The Lebanon Voice the hometown of Danforth.