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BMW Slams Into New Hampshire Toll Booth; Driver Killed

MERRIMACK, N.H. (CBS) - A BMW crashed and burst into flames at a toll booth in New Hampshire Thursday afternoon, killing the driver.

The car was at the Exit 11 southbound on-ramp on the Everett Turnpike in Merrimack when it hit the toll booth and immediately caught fire.

NH Toll Booth Fire
The fire at the toll booth on the Everett Turnpike in Merrimack, NH. (Photo credit: Carlisle Robinson)

State Police say they were not chasing the car, but had received several calls about a car driving at erratically and at speeds near 100 miles per hour.

Troopers are investigating whether the BMW hit another car earlier in the afternoon.

The toll booth has already been inspected and was determined to be structurally sound.

Mildred Reynolds was the only attendant manning a toll booth when the crash happened.

"Really scary, I swore a little bit," she told WBZ-TV's Katie Brace.

She started her shift at 1 p.m., and the car crashed into the toll plaza at 1:13 p.m.

"I just heard the bang and things started to fly," Reynolds said.

The 87-year-old woman doesn't get worked up much. She was 20 feet away from the crash and a co-worker yelled to her from the main building.

"I saw the explosion, the fire, and she said to get in here," Reynolds says. "I just walked across (and) grabbed my bag."

She then waited as investigators went through what was left of the BMW.

Police said they were withholding the name of the driver until family were notified.

Reynolds has spent 26 years as a toll booth attendant.

She said she'll be back Friday for what she hopes will be a regular day.

"Hope it (doesn't) happen again while I am up there," Reynolds said.

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