PORTSMOUTH — A 38-year-old local man was charged with driving while intoxicated following a head-on collision just before 4 p.m. Monday on East Main Road near Ethel Drive. 

When police arrived on the scene they determined that Michael J. Lima, 38, of 47 Ethel Drive, had been operating a green Cadillac southbound on East Main Road when it veered into the northbound lane and struck a white Chevrolet head on, according to Detective Lt. Michael C. Arnold. 

The driver of the other car was a 53-year-old local woman, who was uninjured, he said.

Mr Lima had suffered an apparent overdose and the Portsmouth Fire Department administered him Narcan twice on scene, Lt. Arnold said. (Narcan is the brand name for Naloxone, a medication used to block the effects of opioids, especially during an overdose.)

Mr. Lima, who was also cited for refusing a chemical test, was eventually taken to Rhode Island Hospital, he said. Both vehicles sustained significant damage. 

The accident shut down a portion of East Main Road for more than an hour while the Portsmouth Police Accident Recon Team and Portsmouth detectives investigated, Lt. Arnold said.