BY DERRICK PERKINS
The cause of a car crash in nearby Atkinson that left one local teen dead and another hospitalized on May 5 remains under investigation, though state police believe excessive speed contributed to the accident.
Robert C. Stuart, 18, of Salem was pronounced dead on the scene after the 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier he was driving veered off the eastbound shoulder of Island Pond Road and into a tree at 12:03 a.m. According to authorities, Stuart had been heading west before the accident.
A 16-year-old female passenger from Derry was transported to the Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Mass., before being Med-Flighted to the Boston Medical Center.
Neither Stuart nor his passenger were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, state police said.
State police were assisted at the scene by Atkinson police and Atkinson Fire Rescue.
Authorities are asking anyone with information regarding the crash to contact State Trooper Tamara Hester at 679- 3333.