NVFRC: "No."

NOTICE NVFRC:

The other day, someone asked me if I was going to "Bike Week."

I simply replied, "No."

-------------------------------------------------------

Excerpt: Story #1

Dean Stoddard, 41, of Easthampton, Mass., hit the SUV with his motorcycle
but was uninjured. State police did not identify the final motorcyclist, who
was driving at the front of the pack and was untouched.

Stoddard said he was riding into New Hampshire with Fontaine when the seven
met up by chance and rode together.

"He (Fontaine) had just taken his helmet off 10 minutes ago," Stoddard said.
The pair commonly doff their helmets when they enter New Hampshire, which
does not require motorcyclists to wear helmets, he said.

The two and a friend, Heather Barton, who was driving in a car behind them,
planned to rent a cabin for the weekend.

Visibly shaken, Stoddard stayed on the scene while several state troopers
investigated the crash. The highway was closed to traffic for much of the
afternoon.

The accident proved a grisly reminder of the potential for injury and death
to the thousands of motorcyclists who will pour into New Hampshire this
weekend and next week. Motorcycle Week officially starts in Laconia today.

Historically, four or five motorcycle fatalities take place during Bike
Week, said Peter Thomson, coordinator of the state highway safety program.

"Everyone's in a hurry to get up to the Lakes Region. That's when these
things happen," Thomson said.

Before yesterday, there had been only two motorcycle fatalities in New
Hampshire this year.

Last year, New Hampshire recorded 42 motorcycle fatalities, one-quarter of
all motor-vehicle fatalities on roadways, he said. At least one-third of
those involved another vehicle that encroached on the center line and caused
the crash, he said.

"We just have to continually try and educate the people to slow down and let
them know we're sharing the road with a lot of motorcyclists this week,"
Thomson said.

The driver of the SUV, Deborah Huston, 51, of Bowdoinham, Maine, and her two
passengers were taken to Cheshire Medical Center. She was treated for
injuries and released. The passengers were released at the hospital.

Police said all three had been wearing seatbelts.

Sgt. Barry Jones of state police Troop C said the accident is the worst he
has seen on that area of Route 9 in his 26 years patrolling the area.

He said a "considerable amount of time" will be put into the investigation,
including a 24-hour background investigation on all the drivers.

Excerpt: Story #2

By Raja Mishra and Caroline Louise Cole, Globe Correspondent | June 10,
2006

STODDARD, N.H. -- Three people died and five were injured yesterday after a
sport utility vehicle collided with a caravan of Harley-Davidsons, leaving a
twisted mess of chrome and metal on a winding country road at the outset of
the state's annual celebration of biker culture.



As the riders cruised down a sloping Route 9 straightaway into a turn, one
of the motorcyclists veered into the path of an oncoming Jeep Cherokee,
authorities said. The collision caused the Cherokee to roll over three other
motorcycles. Two other bikers lost control and rolled over. Only one of the
seven motorcyclists made it through upright, authorities said.

The crash remains under investigation, but authorities said that it appears
to have been an accident and that no drugs or alcohol were involved.

``The preliminary investigation suggests it was the motorcycle that drifted
in front of the SUV," said Stoddard Police Chief David Vaillancourt. ``It
was a fairly chaotic scene."

The accident, which occurred around noon, cast a pall over the Laconia
Motorcycle Week festivities, scheduled to begin today, when more than
400,000 motorcycle enthusiasts are expected in New Hampshire.

[Back to deep lurk mode]
--
Ron - Southern NH - USA
2001 Interceptor VFR800Fi1 "Land Rocket" (tm)
(aka) "Rural Assault Vehicle" (tm)


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