PORTSMOUTH — Five people with serious injuries were transported to local hospitals following a head-on collision Thursday morning, Aug. 12, on West Main Road near Melville School.

According to Deputy Police Chief Michael C. Arnold, police were called to the scene at about 9:03 a.m. It was determined that a vehicle traveling southbound on West Main Road crossed over the center of the roadway and collided with a vehicle traveling northbound.

“Injured in the accident was a 32-year-old woman and her three young children: a 13-year-old, five-year-old and an infant. The 32-year-old woman had to be extricated with the jaws of life from the vehicle by medical personnel,” the deputy chief stated in a press release.

The driver of the other vehicle, a 34-year-old woman, was also injured, he said.

“All were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment for serious injuries,” he said.

The Bristol Police Department assisted with traffic and fire departments from Portsmouth, Tiverton, Newport, and Middletown helped with medical treatment for the injured.

The accident took place while many police officers and firefighters were dealing with a peace protest at Raytheon Co., further south on West Main Road.

At the scene of the protest, Police Chief Brian Peters had this to say: “My thoughts and prayers go to the people who were involved in that accident, which was a serious head-on collision involving toddlers and small children, and (the protest) delayed the resources because we were down here dealing with this situation.”