(Courtesy photo) A widespread debris field covered a segment of Route 111 in Hudson following a crash involving a car and a tractor trailer unit Monday.

HUDSON — A collision on Route 111 Monday morning involving a tractor-trailer unit and an older model Pontiac G6 left an 83-year-old Nashua man with serious injuries that prompted medical personnel to send for a medical helicopter to transport him to a Boston hospital.

Paul Cella, who was driving the Pontiac, was administered emergency medical treatment at the scene before he was flown to Boston with what police described as life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, Mark Beauchesne, 63, of Methuen, Massachusetts, sustained minor injuries, for which he was treated at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua.

The process of extricating Cella from the wreckage of the Pontiac took quite some time, as crews had to cut and remove the roof of the vehicle as well as pry the drivers side door off the vehicle in order to access Cella and remove him.

An ambulance from Londonderry and an engine from Windham responded to the scene. The Windham engine stood by at a nearby parking lot, which was designated as the landing zone for the Med Flight helicopter, and assisted in transferring Cella from the ambulance into the helicopter.

(Courtesy photo) Hudson firefighters and paramedics work to extricate 83-year-old Nashua resident Paul Cella from the wreckage of his vehicle following Monday's crash on Route 111 in Hudson.

The tractor trailer, meanwhile, was forced off the road by the impact, and landed on its side after striking a tree. The tractor began leaking diesel fuel, which firefighters contained using hazmat booms.

The circumstances and cause of the crash remain under investigation.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

(Courtesy photo) A tractor trailer rig lies on its side in a ditch, where it landed following a collision with a sedan on Route 111 in Hudson Monday.

(Courtesy photo) The wreckage of the Pontiac from which Nashua resident Paul Cella was extricated following Monday's crash in Hudson sits on the side of Route 111.