Stanley Esau Jr., 32, of Derry was driving south on Route 28 about 7:30 a.m., when his Corvette swerved across the opposing lane of traffic, passed briefly over adjoining Libbey Road, and crashed into a stand of three trees and brush. He was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
Michelle Stanley, also 32 and of Derry, was a passenger in Esau's vehicle and was injured. She left the scene with a relative and was taken to Parkland Medical Center in Derry. She was treated and released, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
"It does raise a question in our mind," Windham police Chief Gerald Lewis said of Stanley's departure from the scene. "However, we don't believe her leaving the scene plays any part in the accident itself."
Police don't know the relationship between Esau and Stanley.
The driver of a vehicle traveling in front of Esau said the Derry man tried to pass him and lost control of the car, Windham police Capt. Patrick Yatsevich said shortly after the accident.
"Obviously, speed may have been a factor (in the accident)," said Yatsevich, speaking from the scene of the accident.
But later yesterday afternoon, Lewis said it isn't clear if Esau was trying to pass the other driver or simply lost control of his car.
Lewis said that police had received a call about the Corvette driver's behavior on the road earlier that morning.
Asked if he meant that the driver was speeding or driving erratically, Lewis said the call related to "the mere operation of the vehicle."
At the accident scene, S-shaped skid marks marred the left lane of the road where Esau lost control. The blue Corvette itself had a tear in the roof. Most of the damage appeared to be confined to the driver's side. Pieces of the car's front left paneling littered the ground down a short hill from Route 28.
The Corvette had California plates, and police are trying to determine whether Esau was the owner of the car.
Derry police conducted an accident reconstruction, and Windham police are waiting for a toxicology report that will say whether Esau was under the influence of any substance.
Yatsevich said no one will likely be charged in connection with the accident.
Police were still interviewing a witness to the accident late yesterday afternoon. The accident blocked traffic on Route 28 until after noon.
Yesterday's crash was the second fatal accident on Route 28 in Windham in the past six months. On Nov. 16, Robert Saitow of Pelham was killed when his car collided with a pickup truck near the Park Place Lanes bowling alley.
Just two weeks ago, a Salem man suffered a broken pelvis when his motorcycle collided with a sport utility vehicle on Route 28.
